The bat and the Gryffindor princess
by sleepingbutterfly
Summary: Hermione is taken by death eaters and is given to Snape. How will she react when she realises she is bound to him? Couldn't decide if this should be a T or M, so stayed on the safe side.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: anything you recognize is J. (lucky woman.) I own what little is left. This is an introduction chapter, the rest should be longer.

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The noise in the great hall was deafening, waves of sound echoes around the room like thunder through the night sky. Hermione liked the noise; it let her withdraw into her mind and contemplate things that have passed, and ponder where her future might lead her. She thought herself to be very down to earth, with her head and heart being ruled by logic, rather than emotion. There was no room for feelings in her life. She knew, that with the final battle coming ever closer, she must watch her thoughts and guard her emotions, as those who know how too easily manipulated them.

Pulling herself out of the trance, she smiled wistfully at Harry and Ron, who were chatting animatedly about a recent Chudley Canons match. The pair seems so full of life, and it was only the poorly hidden pain in their bright eyes, that suggested they were not ordinary teenagers. Pain, Hermione thought, which would only intensify over the following months. It seemed unfair that someone so young should have so much responsibility. Then, she snorted quietly, she was beginning to sound like Professor Dumbledore! With that, Hermione picked up her fork and ate, enjoying the simple pleasures of life while she could.

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Professor Snape sat at the high table: back straight, feet planted firmly on the floor, and a dark scowl etched onto his pale face. His pitch black eyes were deadly tunnels, gazing across the sea of dunderheads; his expression so sinister it equaled the night sky. He, like Hermione was deep in thought, probing the inner depths of his mind and walking through his less painful memories. Moving his head, he caught a glimpse of the golden trio sitting at Gryffindor table, they looked relatively happy. Sneering, Snape decided that he would make their last year at Hogwarts as uncomfortable as possible. Just like the brat's father had done for him.

The potions master left well before the end of the welcoming feast. His feet lead him quickly and surely down to the dungeons, with his heavy black robes billowing behind him, adding to his already bat like appearance. Soon, he disappeared behind a small, heavy oak door that often went unnoticed by students and particularly…undesirable members of staff. Snape's quarters were frigid with cold, but he refused to light a fire and accept the warmth it gave. He was not weak; the cool air would not harm him. Sliding into his straight-backed chair, he sighed and pulled a stack of poorly written essays towards him. With cold fingers he picked up a simple, raven quill-that oddly fitted his character-and marked the papers with his close, careful handwriting.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: would J. really write something like this. Nope, didn't think so. Everything you recognise doesn't belong to me. I am not making any money from writing this story.

Not written-Thanks!J

Nutters4Potter-Hi, I was thinking more of a magical binding, but I haven't got far enough in my plan yet to figure out how it will work in school.

Lady IkoYume (have I spelt that right)-thanks very much!

LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL-awww! Thanks. I will definitely continue this story.

I'm very busy during the weekdays, but I will try and update. However, if I run out of time, I will definitely update at the weekend.

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A week had passed since the welcoming feast, and Hermione was starting to get used to life at Hogwarts again. She had already been swamped by homework. Hermione sat on a comfy, brown leather chair while working her way through a particularly long charms essay. Occasionally, Malfoy (or the ferret, as she had thought of him since fourth year) would make a snide comment, which Hermione deliberately ignored.

Being head girl had many advantages, and as far as she could tell, only one disadvantage. She had to share a common room with the Slytherin prince! Because of this, she still hadn't decided if head girl was worth the effort and mental pain he causes her.

"Damn," she hissed.

"What's wrong now, Mudblood!" Draco sneered.

In reply, Hermione said, "not that it's any of your business, but I don't have any books on 'ancient charms and their uses in counter-acting potions.' So, I'm going to the library. Don't bother waiting up for me," a sarcastic smile on her face.

Hermione slammed the portrait shut and she thought she heard Draco mutter something under his breathe. However, whatever he was saying was drowned out by the portrait complaining to her about rough treatment. Hoisting her heavy bag further up her shoulder, Hermione started the long walk down to the library. She still had two hours until she had to start her rounds.

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Severus Snape threw the glass vial against the damp stone, and watched it shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. He was the point in being a potions master if you couldn't make a potion? He didn't understand what was wrong! The potion was physically perfect, a light green shade that looked like velvet. However, something had obviously gone wrong with the reactants because the potion didn't work. Actually, it had quite the opposite effect of what was desired.

Sighing, he slowly cleared away, he would have to wait until he could get hold of some more ingredients before he could brew it again. The problem was the Basilisk skin and venom was highly expensive, and well out of reach of his pitiful teachers salary. Snape realised that a trip to Gringott's was in order, so he could collect money from the families fault. To be honest, the professor didn't understand why he always referred to the vault as the families. He was the only Snape left, so technically it was all his.

Walking to the door, he put on his thick black coat and exited the dungeons. Once outside Hogwarts grounds, he would apparate down to Diagon alley, get his money and walk the short distance to Knockturn alley in order to buy his supplies.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer-I wish I was J., and I wish I was making money out of this.

Thank you very much to everyone who has reviewed, you keep me smiling and get me to keep writing.

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Hermione's entrance into the library went unnoticed. The cavernous room was practically empty, save for a few eager Ravenclaws. Walking through the room, she gazed around and mentally cataloged the books she had read, and those that looked as if they might be of interest; if she had some spare time to read. Passing Madam Pince's desk, she gave the cold woman a straight look; the librarian had never taken to Hermione. A look of contempt shone in her eyes, although her face remained smooth and unreadable-a sharp contrast to the books she kept.

The charms section was located at the back of the library, it's high shelves lining an entire side of the room. Hermione slowly and carefully moved passed the books, unable to find the one she searched for. Letting out a long sigh, she closed her eyes briefly as she realised her search had been futile. Hermione frowned slightly, she was sure she had seen the book before! As she passed Pince's desk, she decided to query the evasive book.

"I was wondering if you had a copy of 'ancient charms and their uses in counter-acting potions,' available, as I was unable to locate it myself."

The uptight woman took a deep breath in and looked as if she was going to make a snide comment, when she thought better of it.

"I seam to recall it being checked out early today, child, by Professor Snape I think."

Professor Snape! Hermione's heart dropped to her stomach. What was she going to do now! Deciding that the best bet was to look for the information somewhere else, she set of once again through the maze of shelves.

Even Hermione realised, after an hour and a half, that it was pointless to continue the search. It was roughly the time to start doing her rounds, so she decided, in a flash of Gryffindor bravery, to go and ask Professor Snape if he had finished with the book. Hermione had to walk down four flights of stairs, through numerous portraits and almost double back on herself to reach the dungeons. The trip took her nearly twenty minutes to make, although some of that was when she had to stop and dock points from some unexpecting second years.

The dungeons were relatively creepy by day, but at night it was a whole new story. It would be pitch black- if not for the orb of light at the tip of her wand-and the few portraits that hung on the damp walls, glared murderously at her; after all she has a Mudblood in Slytherin territory.

On several occasions, Hermione could have sworn she heard a footstep or a rustle of a cloak behind her. At times like this she would spring around with her heart pounding in her throat, wand poised to throw the nastiest hex she knew. But there was no one there- just her over-active imagination, she convinced herself. Laughing to herself she would turn around and carry on, not being able to bring herself to look over her shoulder.

Abruptly she stopped. There should have been a turning here, and instead she was met by a blank wall. Fear crept over her; she knew she hadn't taken a wrong turn. As the shadows started to close in around her, Hermione fought the urge to run.

"Don't be daft Mione,' she said aloud." There's got to be a reasonable explanation for this," her sense of logic kicking in.

Then, she sensed a presence behind her. Before she had chance to react, a rough, large hand was forced over her mouth, smothering her. A scream died pathetically against his hand. Something hard hit her on the back of the head.

Darkness swept over her. Consuming her. Sweet, forgiving darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I am most definitely not Rowling. (Unfortunately.)

Whoopsydaisy: Thank you 

Evenstar101: I agree, nothing can beat a real book. And I have no idea what a twitter is, sorry.

Zoil: thanks, things should speed up now.

Notwritten: thank you again for your kind reviews. 

TCFellows: thank you very much.

I apologise for any mistakes made in this chapter, wrote it while watching Waterloo road.

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Waking came slowly for Hermione. As the darkness ebbed away, like waves on a pebble beach, the pain returned to her and momentarily consumed her; like a fire tearing through a house. She was in a small cell-no more than 6 foot by 5 foot-the walls were damp and covered in thick green moss. Beneath her she felt rough cobblestones, illuminated by light streaming in through a tiny whole, high in the cell wall. Too small to climb through, she thought.

Hermione stayed this way for some time, wondering were she was, how she got there and what was going to happen? So many questions and no answers, she thought as the sharp pain in her head became too much for her. The darkness claimed her again.

Some 500 miles away, Snape exited Knockturn Alley and walked through the crowded streets, on his way back to Hogwarts. If his usual demeanor was bad, today he was murderous. The shop that sold the 'not quite legal' items he wanted had shut down, and now he had absolutely no idea where to get his ingredients is from.

Suddenly, searing pain burned through his left forearm, and he felt the dark mark move across his skin. Hissing in poorly concealed pain, he turned on his heels and headed straight back down the dark, dingy roads he had come from, looking for a safe place to transform his robes. There was a deserted alleyway in-between two dirty looking shops, and it was here that he transfigured his work robes into his Death Eater ones and donned the silvery black mask. With a crack he disappeared.

He landed in his normal place in the inner ring; he was the Dark Lord's right hand man, although it meant practically nothing. He was treated just as harshly-if not worse-by his evil master. A few others arrived seconds after himself, cloaks flying behind them from the non-existent breeze. With the circle full, the Dark lord, who had been seated on a throne-like chair, stood up gracefully. His followers dropped to their knees with their heads touching the floor, and whispers went round the circle. It sounded like a plea for mercy, as if they were already begging forgiveness for mistakes they didn't know they'd made. Snape felt sick to his stomach. What sin would he have to commit tonight? What would he be forced to watch?

"I have a treat for you tonight," the Dark Lord crooned, red eyes shining with devilish glee. "Tonight, the Mudblood was captured from Hogwarts, right from under the Order's nose! They are weak, they can not protect their own!" He shouted. Then in a hushed whisper he added, "I doubt they even know she's gone."

The room was silent; no one knew quite what to do. Voldermort paused, presumably for dramatic effect, and then he continued.

"Imagine the things she knows, the workings of the Order. What they plan to do? What makes them tick? Imagine…how poor, defenseless Harry Potter will feel, when he realises his best friend is in our hands." Then, laughing manically, he walked back to his throne and threw himself lazily into it. With his legs stretched over one arm of the chair, and his arms flung behind him, in a pose of arrogance and power, he called to the guards on the door to open them.

The old, oak doors creaked open and two more men dragged in the badly beaten body of Hermione Granger.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Evenstar101: finally someone agrees with me  all the spines of my Harry Potter books are broken lol.

Heidi191976: thank you very much.

Sorry this has taken so long to write, I've had a homework overload and really struggled writing this chapter. I was going to put a lot more dialogue in this chapter, but it didn't really work. I hope you like how this one turned out. Please review and try and give me some tips to improve.

Does Crucio have a capital or not?

Also, have I spelt Occumency right?

WARNING: bad language used once in this chapter.

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Hermione had lost track of time, there was only the fire burning through her bones, her veins, her very being. She had been under the Crucio for nearly five hours, being pressed for information all the time. To begin with she refused to scream, but she eventually realised there was no point. The more she resisted, the more the Dark Lord hurt her.

Hermione could feel her occumency walls slipping, grasping with everything she had, she tried to force them back up. To late. Voldermort had noticed the flaw in her mental block, laughing he forced himself into her mind. Hermione knew that the only thing she could do was try and stop him from seeing any memories of Harry, they could, and would be used as a weapon. Weakly, she thought that if she were going to die, she would die protecting the people she loved.

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Severus Snape had stood unmoving nearly all night, his face unconcerned, as the know-it-all was tortured in front of him. However, his mind was in overdrive; the girl had lasted five hours, it wouldn't be long now before she broke. He admired her determination to keep the Dark Lord out of her mind. But knew it has pointless, he would break through eventually.

It was then that he heard an evil, uncaring laugh. The Dark Lord projected the girl's memory across the room for the death eaters to _enjoy_. Voldermort was obviously searching for something he could use against the Order, but it surprised Snape to find that the girl still resisted him. The only images being viewed by the room were those from an unhappy childhood.

Severus tried to ignore Hermione's sobs and concentrate on her memories. A man, presumably her Father, was screaming at a small, defenseless woman. He pinned her against the wall and punched her, and as she fell to the floor unconscious with a trickle of blood on the side of her pretty face, he went to the fridge (although Snape didn't know what it was) and pulled out a can of beer.

The scene changed, and this time the man was advancing on a young Hermione, who was begging him to stop. He grabbed her and threw her onto the floor, before kicking and beating her to within an inch of her life. She could have been no more than eight years old, Severus thought sadly.

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For nearly an hour, the Dark Lord toyed with Hermione while her tortured memories played out like videotape. Eventually, Voldermort had had enough and lifted the last Crucio off of Hermione, who collapsed in a heap. She was too tired to cry any more, and couldn't move for fear of re-awakening the searing pain. Hermione could tell that Voldermort was angry, maybe he would kill her know, she thought weakly.

"LEAVE!" he shouted angry. "Not you, Severus." As the others apparated away, Snape knelt before his master.

"How may I serve my Lord?" he replied. He was told to stand, and as he got to his feet the dark Lord said in barely more than a whisper

"Take the Bitch back to Hogwarts." He demanded before turning his back on them both. Severus nodded and picked up an extremely underweight Hermione. Walking out of the room he disapparated to outside Hogwarts grounds.

The Dark Lord watched as his right hand man carried the Mudblood out of his hall, and with a cruel smile, he raised his wand and muttered a quick and unnoticed binding charm at the pair. He wanted easy access to that girl.

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Wow that took me Two hours to write. It normally takes me twenty minutes lol. Please review.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Evenstar101-yeah, sorry I should have explained that Snape is pureblood in this story. Hermione's past is relevant to the rest of the story, in a small way.

Catysmom- thank you.

ginnylovesharry07: Ohh god. I don't know how they discover the binding charm yet.

Please tell me if I have spelt anything wrong.

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Snape arrived back on the outskirts of Hogwarts grounds and, while shuffling Hermione around in his arms, sent a patronous up to the hospital wing. The girl needed medical attention desperately; she hadn't stirred once since he'd picked her up, and even a short amount of time under the Cruciatus curse could have long-term side effects.

Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he took long, steady steps up to the castle, where the towering oak doors swung open for him. It took nearly ten minutes to get to the hospital wing due to the additional weight he was carrying.

Madam Pomfrey flung open the hospital wing doors well before they reached her. She hurried over to the girl and started to question Severus, " What in Merlin's name happened?"

"A Death Eater meeting," he replied, knowing that the nurse would need no further explanation.

"Dear god! Quick, quick. Bring her in." The witch demanded, hurrying over to a bed on the far side of the ward.

Severus ignored his irritation towards the fussing woman and quickly followed her. Carefully placing the broken girl down, he thought about all the times he had staggered back to the castle, after he had displeased his Master. However, in all the time he had been in Voldemort's servitude, he had never been so close to death as Hermione was now. Looking up, he realised Madam Pomfrey had already started healing the minor wounds. Deciding he needed to do whatever possible to help, Severus headed over to the vast potions cabinet and pulled out several vials of foul looking liquid.

Taking long strides back over to where Hermione lay, he opened the first vial and forced open her mouth to poor the whole contents down her throat. The potion was similar to the blood-replenishing potion, except he had modified it slightly, so that it not only replaced the blood but also stopped any bleeding from taking place. Then, opening a second vial he dabbed some of the dull grey liquid onto a cloth, and started to rub it into some of her more severe cuts and bruises. Madam Pomfrey observed him wonderingly for a while, before asking what he was doing.

"It's to stop any of the wounds from getting infected," came his short reply.

The nurse had realised long ago that Severus was a not a man of many words. He kept to himself, preferring the company of his potions and his books; rather like little miss know-it-all here, she thought wryly.

A sudden thought came to her "will it react with anything I need to give her?" she questioned.

"It will not affect any spell or potion I know about." He stated.

Madam Pomfrey sighed and shook her head slightly, " you really are a clever man Severus!"

Snape visibly stiffened before saying a curt thank you and turning away.

"I think we have done all we can for her, we shall just have to wait for time to heal the wounds now." Madam Pomfrey said uncomfortably, as if she did not like leaving anything to chance. "Unfortunately, some wounds need more time than a person has."

The potions master understood what she was saying. He had many scars that had taken years to heal properly. However, it was the mental wounds that he would carry for the rest of his life.

Taking his leave from the Hospital Wing, he started a slow trudge up to the headmaster's office. It was the trudge of a man who had nothing left. No reason to live. Nor any real desire to.

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Walla! I hope you like it, please review.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I woke up this morning and I was still me.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, without you I would have given up on this long ago.

Note-I personally believe that it should be 'more guilty' not 'guiltier,' but that's what word check said. Please tell me which is right if you know.

Also, I was unsure if firewhiskey was one word or not.

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The potions master had to practically retrace his steps up to the entrance hall, before it was possible for him to reach Professor Dumbledore's office. Severus walked the hallways of Hogwarts often, on his quest to dock house points off impertinent Gryffindors. Therefore, the trail spanning seven floors was incredibly easy for him; his long, muscled legs had long since been able to deal with the stairs of Hogwarts.

It was only after he had reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's chambers, that he realised he had no idea what the password was. He tried several different sweets and chocolates, before giving up and saying,

"Oh Merlin's beard! You know it's me, so just let me past!"

The only answer the gargoyle gave was to shake its head and grin down at him. Which was no easy task, as Severus stood at roughly six foot four. Snape let out a feral growl and, just as things looked like they could get nasty, the Headmaster appeared behind him. Severus whirled round, he was not used to being cut by surprise; his years as a spy had ensured that no one could sneak up on him. However, it seemed as if Albus Dumbledore didn't fall in to the same category as every other person.

"Severus, my boy! What can I do for you?" Then, looking down and seeing the heavy black material of Snape's Death Eater cloak, he sighed, "I take that it is not good news then?" the headmaster question.

The only reply he received was an even deeper scowl, than the one already etched onto the bats face. Dumbledore looked at the gargoyle and said,

"Mars." For the second time that minute Severus felt surprise, although this time he hid it better.

"You've moved onto planets now." He stated.

"No, m' boy! It is simply the name of a muggle chocolate that I have a current taste for."

Trying not to show his impatience, Severus waited on the moving staircase; he could not help but think how much quicker it would be if it were simply a normal staircase. After what seemed like an eternity, trying not to tap his foot and wriggle around, he stepped foot in Dumbledore's office. There were no good memories from this place, only the times when he had come here half dead after a meeting, or when he had knelt at the Headmaster's feet and begged forgiveness for his sins. He put that particular memory out of his mind; he wasn't here to feel any guiltier than he already did about his past actions.

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The conversation with dumbledore lasted well over an hour, as the Headmaster asked to see what had happened. So, for the second time that day Snape had to watch the young girl being tortured. It made him sick to think that the only thing she was guilty of was association.

That was how he found himself, some four hours later, nursing a tumbler of firewhiskey and wondering where the hell his life had gone so wrong. His Father had been a cruel man, and quite often a young Severus had been on his bad side. Snape had been ecstatic to start attending Hogwarts, just so he could get away from him. But then he met Potter and Black, who turned his only time free from his abusive Father into a hell that was just as bad as home.

On his seventeenth birthday, Severus had inherited the entire family estate, due to the _untimely_ death of his Father (personally, he thought that he had simply failed the Dark Lord one too many times.) The estate consisted of two large manor houses; one in west Yorkshire and the other in Southern France, both came with many acres of land. He also inherited his Father's title, and became 'Lord Severus Tobias Snape.' He detested his middle name-it reminded him too much of his Father-and often dropped it, along with his title.

Sighing, he rubbed his temples with his long fingers and sank deeper into his thoughts. It was going to be a long night.

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Thanks for reading. Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: come on, does anyone believe I'm J.? Nope, didn't think so.

Is it 'overrated' or 'over rated?'

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For the second time in not very long, Hermione woke up in an unfamiliar place. It took her several minutes to clear her head enough to recognize the infirmary. She had not stayed in here since her second year after the incident with the polyjuice potion. Although her third of the potion had gone drastically wrong, Hermione was still very proud that she had managed to brew such a complex potion at the age of twelve.

Madam Pomfrey had yet to notice that she was awake, so Hermione decided not to alert her to that fact, in order to lie in peace for a bit. It was nearly an hour later when the healer came bustling over, demanding to know how long Hermione had been awake. Without even thinking, Hermione told her it had only been a few minutes. Even though the Head Girl detested lying, she had become quite apt at it over the years; there were many things that Hermione had kept from Harry and Ron, especially in her third year, with the use of the timeturner.

"Madam Pomfrey, how long was I asleep?" Hermione questioned the older witch.

" Just over a week dear." She replied.

Hermione fell silent. She had missed over a week of schoolwork! How on God's Earth was she going to catch up!

"Personally, Miss Granger, I always thought that God was a bit over rated."

Hermione nearly fell out of her bed, in surprise at the silky voice behind her. What was Snape doing down here? Then a look of annoyance crossed her features. He had read her mind! She had to get used to keeping her occlumency walls up at all times. Before she had chance to give him a reply, Snape turned to Madam Pomfrey and stated

"Professor Dumbledore requires Miss Granger's presence in his office immediately."

"No! Absolutely not. The girl has just been tortured for Merlin's sake. She needs to rest, not to be dragged around the school and questioned for God knows how long."

Severus was just about to open his mouth and shoot back a reply, when the person in question decided to speak up,

"Madam Pomfrey, I do believe that I have had quite enough rest for now. I am quite capable of walking up to the Headmasters office; I am not weak, and I have had plenty of time to recover."

"Don't be daft girl. I doubt if you could take two steps, let alone walk all that way!"

However, Hermione being who she was, was determined to prove the woman wrong. So, that was how she found herself, ten minutes later, walking across the hospital wing in utter defiance. She refused to show how much pain she was in, even though she felt like her body was on fire, it burned that much. Once outside the doors, Hermione collapsed, fully expecting to hit the floor. But the impact never came. Professor Snape had caught her and picked her up in his arms. She was surprised that she felt safe in his arms, but she noticed there was something else too, like she was drawing comfort from him. She pushed that slightly disturbing thought away from her.

After the initial shock had worn off, Hermione could not help but notice how strong the Professor was. His arms were well muscled and quite capable of carrying her weight; his chest was solid and lean. So solid and lean in fact, that Hermione thought it a shame he always wore such thick robes, they hid his figure far too much.

"Miss Granger, if I wanted to wear anything different to my teaching robes, then I assure you I would."

The sneer on his face was evident from the cold sound of his voice. It was like water droplets on icicles, or ice cream melting in the sun.

"I am neither as temperamental as an icicle or as sweet as an ice cream." He said with distaste in his voice. Anger coursed through Hermione at the thought of him reading her mind yet again.

"If you stayed out of my mind, you would not see anything you disagreed with Professor." She remained respectful in her approach as he was her teacher, and was also saving her from great pain and discomfort by carrying her. The only response he gave was a quick quirk of his lips, not quite a smile. Never a smile.

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So what do you think? I hope you like it. Please review. Imaginary cookies to any one who does. I apologies for any mistakes made, I wrote this one pretty quick.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Harry Potter.

Any help would be appreciated; also suggestions and opinions are welcome. Please review as it helps improve my writing.

Does head girl need capitals?

Also, is floo powder one word or two?

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Hermione was seated in an ornate looking chair beside Professor Dumbledore's desk. Other that the occasional wince of pain, no emotion played on her face. Severus Snape stood leaning against the yellow stone wall; a quick glance would say that he was relaxed, but if you looked closer, you could tell he was like a coiled spring, a cobra ready to strike or a lion to pounce.

As the discussion started between Albus and Hermione, Severus couldn't help but think it was pointless. The only thing that Dumbledore could offer the girl was pity, which was exactly the opposite of what she needed. She needed to forget and move on, and she couldn't do that if people kept pestering her.

Severus was drawn out of his thoughts when Dumbledore politely asked him to leave, so that he could talk privately with Hermione. He nodded curtly, he didn't want to be there any way, and he had better things to do with his time. However, a small part of him could not help but wonder how the girl was going to get back to her rooms. Madam Pomfrey was right; the girl wasn't capable of walking two steps.

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Hermione was hurting all over, but she was managing to block the pain. However, after Snape's exit a burning agony welled up inside her. She tried to ignore it at first, but it continued to intensify until it all but consumed her. Professor Dumbledore repeatedly called her name and shuck her, but he received no response. Within seconds the pain was so excruciating she was blinded by it. As it rose to a level that beat the Cruciatus Curse, Hermione fell unconscious and slipped from the chair.

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Fifteen minutes later, Hermione was once again lying in a hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore were going spare; neither had any idea how to stop the head girl's pain. As she was taken away from Dumbledore's office, she had started screaming. Now, Hermione was withering on the bed- her eyes wide open with tears streaming down her face-unable to make a sound, she suffered in silence.

"Headmaster, maybe Severus will be able to identify what is wrong." Madam Pomfrey cried.

Albus covered the distance from Hermione's bed to the fireplace in two long strides, and after throwing in a rough handful of floo powder, shouted for the potions master. Snape appeared in a matter of seconds: black cloak billowing in the green flames; arms folded in defiance and face schooled into an unreadable expression. Dumbledore quickly explained the situation since Severus had left his office

Severus was concerned; he had no idea what was wrong with the girl. However, due to his…lifestyle, he was relatively sure it was dark or ancient magic. Suddenly, Hermione called out to him

"Professor Snape. Please!" She begged in a hoarse voice.

He walked over to her, and was greatly shocked when the annoying chit grabbed hold of his hand and pulled it to her. The girl's hand was tiny and soft compared to his large, rough hands.

"Thank you, Sir," she managed to choke out before her voice failed her.

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Hermione was not called the brightest witch of her age for no reason. As soon as the pain started to ease when Snape entered the hospital wing, she knew it was somehow related. Once she'd grabbed his hand, the pain all but disappeared, leaving her chance to recover again, under the watchful eye of Madam Pomfrey.

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Sorry this is a relatively short chapter, I will update soon. Please let me know if you like it, or even if you don't.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any money from writing this.

I am sooooooo sorry I took me so long to update, I've been very busy with exams and stuff. It's all over soon though, and then everything should be back to normal. This chapter has driven me mad. The amount of times I re-wrote this is unbelieve-a-bubble. (tehe)

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The sun beat down on a very haggard looking Severus Snape, who was seated in an uncomfortable armchair, next to Hermione's bed. Severus couldn't help but think that the weather couldn't have been more wrong, when compared to the feelings in the hospital. It should be pouring down; thick, heavy drops of water that would lash at the windows and silently trickle down the glass.

Hermione's condition had improved drastically since she had been admitted last night. She now slept peacefully, with only the occasional flicker of pain shooting across her face. On such occasions, Severus would reach for her hand, and rub gentle circles on it with the pad of his thumb; Hermione's face would instantly, visibly relax.

The fact that she was so reliant on him troubled Severus greatly; he was a Death Eater; he gave no comfort, and received none in return. Yet, here he was, calming Hermione, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Determined to shed some light on Hermione's current predicament, he requested for the house elves to bring up his books from the dungeons.

Instantly, he discarded all of the potions books, he knew they would not help him; any Master of his art would tell you that a potion made to harm someone, would either kill them instantly, or be curing by using an antidote. Hermione had needed no potion to stop the majority of her pain. Severus was left with a rather depleted pile of books and, after discarding all the Transfiguration or Care of Magical Creatures texts, was left with only three Charms books, (after all, he had little time for foolish wand waving.)

Although few in number, his charms books covered and incredibly wide and in depth knowledge of the subject. If there was anything to find, he would find it.

The first book he read, focused mainly on the theoretical side of the subject. The second was little better, no bubble charm or happy spell had put Hermione in the hospital wing. However, Severus knew instantly that the third book would hold the answers to his unasked questions. The book was very old, ancient even, and the spells that filled the worn pages, seemed to wriggle and shimmer on the page-a small hint at the dark power the book held.

Severus had purchased the book in his seventh year at Hogwarts, and it was one of the main influences on him for joining the Dark Army. For many years, Snape had tried to forget the magic the book held, now he found himself praying that he wouldn't be drawn in by such evil again. To begin with, the spells were simply cruel and masochistic. However, towards the end, the spells became more like rituals, trying to invoke some demon or another to carry out some awful deed.

The Potions Master had all but given up by the time he had reached the last page. As his eyes scanned over the writing, they widened in shock, and his long fingers tightened around the fragile pages of the book. He had found it. Suddenly, everything started falling into place; the way Hermione had leant into him when he carried her to the Headmaster's office; the way he felt oddly comforted by her presence; the way she had rolled in agony before he was less than three hundred feet away from her!

His heart leapt in the momentary thrill of discovery, but then quickly plummeted. Actually, he mused, it was more as if his heart had stopped, or time had slowed down as he contemplated the serious matters at hand. The girl was bound to him. She would have to obey any direct order she was given and she obviously couldn't be far from him. With that thought came the horrible realization that he would have to share his quarters.

Severus' blood boiled at the prospect of giving up the one thing he could truly call his own. His privacy.


	11. Chapter 11

Wow can't believe I've got so far on this. Please read and review.

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As Hermione woke, she could not help but wish she hadn't. As consciousness returned to her, so did the memories of the pain. Although her mind refused to dwell on those matters, her muscles could not help but remember. After what seemed like a lifetime, Hermione felt ready to once again face the cruel world; flickering her eyes open she blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the light. As she did do, she felt her eyelashes brush against her cheeks-the softness caught her off guard after being subjected to the previous agony.

An even greater shock came, when Hermione felt a gentle, but firm grip on her right hand. Looking down, Hermione took note of the hand holding hers; long, slender fingers, with firm but lean muscles, running over the knuckles and the back of the hand. Piano players hands, she determined. She also came to the conclusion that the hands were most definitely male; no woman had such beautiful hands.

Following the arm, clad entirely in black, back to its owner, Hermione gave a small gasp, causing the man in question to look directly at her. Looking sheepish, Severus drew his hand away; taking with him the comfort he had willingly given to her. Hermione was still in too much shock to speak; Severus Snape, the most feared potions master in the world, otherwise known (by Harry and the Weasley clan) as the greasy bastard extraordinaire, was holding her hand. Unable to voice how she felt about the sudden absence of his hand, she simply reached for his and pulled it close to her once more. A look of shock graced Snape's face for a bare second before allowing Hermione her comfort.

Surprisingly, he also felt oddly comforted by Hermione's touch. For such a long time, he had been without even the slightest form of human contact; the feeling was alien to him and, not being able to fully understand it, he simply let himself enjoy the simple contact. No doubt it would be the last for a long while.

Looking at Hermione, he realised the girl was quietly observing him, her head was cocked slightly to the side, and she had an inquisitive look upon her face. After what seemed like and age, she finally voiced her thoughts.

"Why are you here?" Such a simple question. Such a difficult answer.

Severus thought long and hard about the answer he would give. His first reaction was to give a scathing, sarcastic comment, but that would only make the girl draw away from him. His second thought was to give her an honest answer, although this turned out to be harder than he thought.

"I am here because I feel partly guilty for what happened to you," he formed slowly, as if measuring the words and their meanings before speaking them out loud. "I am here because…because," he struggled before Hermione interrupted him.

"You're here for the same reason I kept hold of your hand." She stated without malice or conviction.

Snape stared at her for a few moments, and then questioned her. "And why did you take my hand like a starved man in a sweet store?"

Hermione couldn't help but smirk at his comment; he hadn't completely changed then. Hermione thought for a long time before answering honestly,

"I don't know." Truth shone in her eyes with innocence as pure as the midday sun. Severus couldn't help but think she looked beautiful, and then mentally berated himself for allowing himself to think such things. The girl would probably run away screaming if he had said that out loud.

Cleaning his throat and desperately trying to think of a way to hide his insecurity, he looked around him and almost sighed in relief. Right behind him stood Dumbledore, who was smiling down at Severus and Hermione rather disconcertingly.

Severus! Would you mind terribly if I request your presence immediately in my office? I have some pressing matters that need to be discussed." Naturally meaning that if Severus didn't go with him, Dumbledore would feed him to the giant squid.

"That is acceptable, Albus, considering I have many important matters of my own, worthy of a discussion." Came Severus' reply. Professor Dumbledore did not miss the subtle glance in the Head girl's direction.

With that, the potions master stood up from his armchair and gently let go of the hand that he had subconsciously accepted. It wasn't until the two men were exiting the hospital wing that Hermione yelped in sudden pain. Severus turned quickly to Albus an informed him that Miss Granger's presence was probably necessary.

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I'm really not sure about this chapter-please tell me what you think. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, it's because I've had exams.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or anything you recognise. I own only the plot.

I apologise for the ridiculous gap in between updates-sometimes many days just hit me at once and that's when life catches up with me. As much as I would like to live in fantasyland sometimes I need to check in with reality.

I would also like to apologise because I think the beginning of this chapter is a bit familiar. It is also the longest one yet. I'm chuffed. Please review, it makes my day.

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Once more, Hermione found herself in the Headmaster's office, seated in a chair in front of the mahogany desk. Severus was leaning against the wall again; face completely void of emotion, arms crossed across his chest; his robes wrapped around him like the darkness closing in on the day. Professor Dumbledore sat before them; fingers linked, with his chin resting on them. Although his eyes still twinkled, they portrayed the serious of their predicament. His mouth was set in a straight line, and the room seemed dimmer without his usual beaming smile and funky quirks of the mouth.

It took all of Hermione's strength to keep her sitting straight in the chair; her hands clenched the arms like a coma victim on life support. She no longer hurt, but she was still very tired. Refusing to show weakness, she stayed unmoving. Severus was the first to come to his senses and-unsure of what to say-cleared his throat.

At once, Hermione and Dumbledore both turned to look at him. Looking as if he had just remembered they were there, Dumbledore said, while focusing on Severus

"Emm…Yes. I have been able to shed some light on your current situation." Before he could continue, Snape interrupted him,

"There's no need to tell me Headmaster. I already know." His voice was as cold and emotionless as his face.

"Yes. I should have guessed you'd figured it out." He then turned to Hermione and started to ramble on, almost completely missing the point.

Snape thought it was ridiculous, it would take at least an hour to state the truth, and then the girl would probably ask him to repeat it all. Deciding to intervene, before he was talked into an early grave, he cut of Dumbledore again.

"We're bound." He stated looking at Hermione.

Her face didn't change but you could almost see the cogs moving in her clever brain. No doubt trying to dismiss the idea instantly. Sighing Severus spoke again,

"It is an ancient spell. Something the Egyptian pharaoh's used to ensure their slaves were always loyal and close at hand. You cannot be far from me at any given time; the consequences, as you know, are pretty horrendous."

This time, the information did sink in, and a look of horror dawned on Hermione's face.

"W…What? How?" She cried, stammering and stumbling over the words in shock.

"I believe I have already answered the what. As to the How…Voldermort cursed us (well you to be more precise) as I carried you out of the grand hall."

Hermione nodded in acceptance. However, after a second, her horror turned to anger, and she practically exploded in the potion masters face.

"You could have stopped him! It's all your fault! You should have done something!"

"Miss Granger! Please calm down." Professor Dumbledore cried, almost begging the seventeen year old.

When Severus replied, his voice was ice with the anger and indignity of being accused.

"Do you really think that, even if I had known he had done it, that I could have stopped him? Think, you stupid girl. I would have been killed and the Order would be without their spy. Furthermore, you would have been placed in someone else's hands. Someone who would have no qualms over torturing you again. If you were lucky, it would have been Greyback; if not, one of the Lestrange's."

He had successfully stunned the girl into silence. But instantly felt bad as tears welled up in her eyes, and as a few spilled onto her cheeks, he had to fight to remain standing where he was.

"I…I'm sorry," she moaned. "That was horrible of me. You saved my life, I'm very grateful."

The room lapsed into silence; accept for Hermione's annoying snivels. Normally he would have told her to stop being such a baby and grow up. But, somehow, that didn't seem like the right thing to do.

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked, once she had calmed down enough.

Snape nearly snorted. Now, there was a loaded question, if ever there was one. It was Dumbledore who answered her, trying to sound reassuring, but failing miserably.

"Everything will be fine, Miss Granger. You will have to move out of Gryffindor tower, as it is to far away for your…needs."

"So…where will I stay?" She asked, confusion evident on her face.

Severus could not help but think she was easy to read. He didn't even have to look in her eyes (let alone read her mind) as her emotions played across her face like a projector, flickering between pictures.

Snape took a step forward "you will have to stay in my quarters, anywhere else is simply inconvenient for the both of the us. No doubt you do not want to be in constant agony, and I do not want to be worrying about if I have traveled just one inch to far!"

Somewhere, deep in her subconscious, it registered that he cared about what happened to her. However, she did not recognise this at the moment, and only sat there, in numb shock.

"But…But we'll have no privacy. What about using the bathroom, and…Oh my God! Where am I going to sleep!"

The last part of her rant was not a question-both men realised-but simply a way of venting how she felt.

"Miss Granger! If you would be so kind as to regain some composure!" Severus barked.

"Yes, Sir. Sorry!" She said quickly. She hated it when he made her jump.

Once more the room fell in to near silence. Severus almost rolled his eyes in frustration. Didn't the meddling old bat that runs this God forsaken place have anything to say? It may be rare to shock the know-it-all into silence; but to manage to shut up the headmaster was a miracle!

"After I read everything I could about the curse," Severus said, "I looked for away of countering it; at the present time there is no cure. However, I am in possession of a bracelet which-if I remember correctly-has some qualities, which may be useful to us. If I can harness that power, I could use it to create a cure, and in the mean while, Hermione could wear the bracelet. It would allow her to move further away from me, meaning that privacy is less of an issue. It should also dim the pain if anything does go wrong. Furthermore, I can put protection spells on the bracelet; they won't stop any major spells, but it means she can't be affected by any minor curses or hexes."

Dumbledore nodded his agreement, and Severus was surprised to here Hermione voice her thanks as well. At least now the girl seemed to appreciate what he doing for her.

They talked for several more minutes before Severus and Hermione started the long walk down to the dungeons.

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Phew. That took a while, I apologise in the delay in updates again, I'll update as soon as possible. Please review it makes my day.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer-unfortunately I do not own the original story.

Sorry for the long wait in between chapters. Please review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticisms always welcome.

Chapter 13-arrival at the lair.

The trek down to the dungeons was made in complete silence. Severus strode down the hallways, long legs easily covering the distance; never sparing a thought for Hermione, who struggled to keep. Hermione walked as fast as possible without actually breaking in to a run, yet she still ended up a few paces behind the Potions Master.

Hermione felt numb, like things couldn't get any worse, as if nothing else mattered. Her mind, for once, was silent; allowing the rhythm of her footsteps calm her, pacifying her usually defiant thoughts. She realised that she should feel something; anger or maybe even terror. But she couldn't seem to make herself process either emotion, it took too much energy, too much caring.

Severus didn't feel anything-he wasn't numb-just currently emotionless. His years as a spy had long ago destroyed any spontaneous emotions he had in his teenage years. Later, when he was alone, he would analyse them, letting his brain decide how he should feel, not his heart. Feeling with your heart was far too dangerous; it left far too much a stake.

The comforting silence didn't last long. They had entered the dungeons and had made their way down to Snape's quarters. Hermione was dragged back into the land of the living when Snape's voice penetrated the darkness, speaking the password that would allow them access into his rooms.

Hermione smiled wryly. Trust the Professor to pick a potions ingredient for his password. She couldn't help but think it was a bit predictable, even though even though the he had called the ingredient by it's Latin name and had not been used legally for at least four hundred years.

After seven years of walls lined with all sorts of disgusting specimens, Severus' chambers were entirely different to what she expected. There was very little light, even though he could easily have magically installed a window or added some more candles. Hermione was surprised to realise that she didn't find the gloom disheartening; it made her feel safe and comforted. A kind of safety and comfort that only comes from being underground.

The second thing Hermione noticed was the air, although surprisingly light and unmusky, it was incredibly cold. Hermione shivered involuntarily and let out a long breathe. As it condensed into a little cloud of steam before her, she cocked her head slightly; on the other side of the room was a large, rustic fireplace, without a source of furl to burn in it. Why was the fire never used if the temperature was this low?

"This is the living room, and the kitchen is through there," Snape indicated with his finger, trying to sound unbothered while, at the same time, feeling incredibly uncomfortable about having some one in his home. "There is only one bedroom at the moment. With us being below ground level, there is difficulty in magically enlarging the quarters. So for now we'll make a bed on the couch for you." If Snape thought this statement didn't require him to receive any questions, he was thoroughly mistaken.

"Why, Sir? Surely enlarging the building above ground is exactly the same as below ground. Is it because the air particles can be moved more easily than the solid rock particles?

Sighing, Severus replied, "Yes, Miss Granger, it is more difficult to move solid particles. As you know from their atom arrangements, the structure is much more tightly packed in a solid compared to the structure of a gas. The magic for enlarging buildings underground involves the destruction of the particles around it first." Hermione was shell-shocked. That went against everything she knew.

"But…But that's not possible," she spluttered. "Matter cannot be completely destroyed! How is that possible?"

"That Miss Granger is far too complicated to go through now. However, I will remind you that much more is possible in the magic world than in the muggle world," sounding very much like the potions master she knew and loved.

"Yes Sir," she replied almost meekly.

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As the house elves were yet to bring down Hermione's belongings (meaning that she had nothing to unpack, or even anything to unpack into,) Hermione found herself sitting on the edge of an old armchair, head resting in her hands, staring off into seemingly nowhere. Snape had excused himself half an hour before, and was currently placed behind his desk in a small office off the lounge, marking poorly written first year essays. From where he was sitting, Severus had a perfect view of the head girl. To be quite frank, her presence was driving him slowly into the realms of insanity.

"For Merlin's sake! Stop moping around and do something useful. You haven't had a meal, make yourself something to eat!" He snapped at the girl. Hermione had the good grace to jump.

"Yes, Sir!" She practically yelped.

Racing into the kitchen, Hermione began searching through the cupboard's, taking out all the ingredients she would need; spaghetti was followed by the bolognaise sauce and the mince. Five minutes before everything wad cooked, Hermione took out a stale looking loaf of bread and a fresh block of cheese. After slicing a piece of the bread, she sliced a few chunks of cheese, before going back to the cooker.

Using a spoon, she scooped up the spaghetti and let it drain before carefully placing it in a bowl. The mince and sauce soon followed, completing the meal that was now making Hermione's mouth water due to the delicious aroma. Picking up a knife and fork, she balanced the dish in one hand and opened the kitchen door, walking through to Professor Snape's office. Knocking timidly on the open door, Hermione gingerly stepped into the room.

"Professor Snape, Sir? I made you some tea, as I didn't think you had eaten either." Placing the steaming bowl down on the desk, she hurriedly turned to leave.

Severus looked at the food in surprise, and then once again, schooled his expression. Glancing over to the back of a hastily retreating Hermione Granger, and said "Thank you, Miss Granger, it is much appreciated."

Pulling the food closer to him, Severus stared at it for a long while. It had been a very long time since he had eaten a decent meal; usually surviving on bites of food whenever the headmaster tried to force him to eat. Normally, the thought of eating as much food as what was in front of him would have made him nauseas. But, to his surprise, he found himself wanting to eat. Maybe, it was the delicious smell, or even the fact that it hadn't been mass prepared by a few very hurried house elves, who where trying to get as much Carbohydrate into the students as possible.

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As Hermione re-entered the kitchen, she cursed herself for not offering her Professor a drink. _Too late now, he won't want disturbing; I'll just cope with the consequences later._ Grabbing the slice of bread and cheese chunks, she dropped them onto a plate and went to sit down at the kitchen table. Shoving the food into her mouth was a thoroughly horrible chore; it was a disgusting meal, the bread was rock hard and the cheese was strong enough to make Hermione sick. But she ate it all anyway. After all, she didn't know when she would next be permitted to eat.

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Ok that was officially the most difficult chapter to write. I'm not good at moving the characters around; I usually keep them in one spot and then rabble on a lot. However, I needed to introduce Snape's quarters, and I couldn't really do that without having them move through them. Ohh, good grief. I'm rambling again, why didn't you tell me to shut up. Honestly.

PLEASE, PLASE, PLEASE REVIEW. I'M DESPERATE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter.

How do you spell whomping willow and Cruciatus (have I already asked that)? I apologise in advanced if it is wrong.

Chapter 14

It took Severus roughly fifteen minutes to finish his mammoth meal, and as he put his knife and fork in the bowl with a small clink, he decided to take his cutlery to the sink himself. Usually he would have left it for the house elves to deal with. However, on this occasion, he wanted to check on Miss Granger.

There was something not quite right with the girl, and he couldn't place his finger on it. He had noticed earlier that the girl could quite easily keep up with an intellectual conversation. He had also noticed how she had reacted when he had snapped at her to get something to eat. Her reaction wasn't uncommon; many students feared him and jumped like Miss Granger did when he shouted. However, whenever he had snapped at or degraded her in class she had regarded him with a straight face and cold eyes. So why did she act so fearful of him before? It was a mystery, and one that he was adamant he would get to the bottom of.

When he walked through the kitchen door, he observed Hermione from the back. She was slowly loading pots, pans and various cutlery into the sink. This came as a surprise to Snape. _Doesn't she know that the house elves will clear them away? _Then he smirked, _probably something related to the liberation of house elves in her…second year was it?_

"Miss Granger, why do you not leave the…. dirty work…. to the house elves?" He questioned, thoroughly expecting a SPEW related answer.

"Ohh, hello Professor, I didn't hear you enter. I just wanted to something to do, and work this menial is pleasantly mind numbing." Hermione's reply definitely surprised him; maybe she wasn't quite as childish as he thought.

Hermione took the dirty plate off her Potions Professor and turned back to the sink, slowly scrubbing away the bolognaise sauce that had left a ring of blood red on the sides of the dish. A silence fell between them, Hermione wasn't uncomfortable, and instead she felt reassured by Severus' presence.

"Would you like a cup of tea, Miss Granger?" The question caught her off guard, although she quickly composed herself.

"I would love one Sir. But let me make it." At this, Snape snorted.

"As much as you would like to try to wash up and set the kettle on the stove with only one set of hands, I don't actually think it is possible," Hermione laughed at this and turned to face him, smiling for the first time since she had entered his rooms.

"Thank you very much Professor, a drink would be much appreciated." He gave no reply; only turned towards the stove and filled an old, green kettle with water from the tip of his wand.

Hermione turned slightly to pick up the next fiendishly dirty item, and caught a glimpse of the kettle. Smiling in remembrance, she spoke again

"My Nana used to have a kettle just like that." Severus caught her nod in the direction of the kettle.

"Used to?" Was his only reply. Instantly he cursed himself, in this war he had lost track of the number of casualties, and as Harry Potter's best friend, Hermione's family would have been right in the firing line. For the first time in many years he felt guilt at any unintentional pain he caused someone. _What the hell is happening to me? _He often felt guilty for the horrific crimes he had to commit in the name of the Dark Lord. But to feel guilt about talking of someone's Grandmother, who may or may not be dead, was definitely a sign of weakness. Thankfully Hermione's answer washed away the unfamiliar feeling with her reply.

"Yes, before my Uncle bought her an electric one."

"Electric?" Snape said, trying out the new word. He was sure he had heard the muggle studies teacher talk about it to Arthur Weasley at an Order meeting.

"Yes. It's a source of energy Muggles use to power just about everything, from lights to televisions and now even cars."

Memories flashed back about the disastrous incident in Potter's second year. A Flying Ford Anglia, some things should just never be seen, and that was one of them. Although, he had struggled to suppress a smirk when he found out the whomping willow had nearly battered them to death. He knew nothing of these 'televisions' and decided to buy a book or two on muggle culture or technologies when he was next in Diagon Alley.

Glancing back at the girl, he noticed she was lifting her own plate, ready to wash it in the soapsuds and water. Staring at it, he realised that she definitely hadn't had spaghetti bolognaise for her meal. On the plate was what looked like bread and cheese crumbs, which was absolutely ridiculous as the only bread in his stores had been several weeks old, and the cheese was a hideously sickly experience the Headmaster had 'gifted' him with. This confused him, and he decided to investigate the matter later.

Once the tea was brewed, the unusual pair sat down on slightly rickety chairs at the kitchen table. No conversation passed between them, as they both starred into their cups of tea; perhaps believing that the answers to all their problems would be revealed by the muddy brown liquid. Unfortunately, neither believed in the art of 'Divination' and consequently the tealeaves in the bottom of the cup were nothing more than a gooey mess.

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Hermione was kneeling on the worn rug in the living room; sitting on her heels she poured her way through her belongings that had been delivered by two slightly ruffled looking in appearance house elves. She didn't have many clothes, just a few tatty pairs of jeans and baggy t-shirts, not that Hermione minded; her robes mainly covered her clothes anyway. Pushing the different materials aside, she started routing through the books that lay in the bottom of the trunk. The house elves had had to shrink them to fit them in, and now Hermione was struggling to read their tiny titles. She was looking for Hogwarts: A History, hoping that there would be something about the magical enlargement of the school throughout the last few thousand years. Professor Snape had made her intrigued when he talked about enlarging underground structures.

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From the doorway Severus observed Hermione rummaging through her scant belongings. She didn't seem to have many clothes or any other personal items. This, coupled with her dinner plate and the memories he had been forced to view when she was under the Dark Lord's torture, sent his mind whirling. Eventually his curiosity got the better of him, without a second thought he entered the girls mind and started skimming through her memories. Many were of the past few weeks: conversations with her 'friends' otherwise known as tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee; sitting in the great hall, playing with her food; lying in the hospital wing, staring up at the beamed ceiling and final memories of the dreadful night and the pains of the Cruciatus curse.

Withdrawing quickly from that particular memory, he focused on the memories in the further past, and was horrified at what he found. He knew she had been badly beaten as a child, but he didn't know the full extent of the abuse. He watched countless scenes of Hermione being forced to work long hours doing countless chores, being constantly punished for doing her work seemingly perfectly. He watched as he served her parents up fancy three course meals and served them constantly through the meal. She was beaten when her stomach rumbled from starvation and was sent to her bed without any nourishment. At one time she went without anything to eat in three days, and then collapsed from pure exhaustion.

The memories went on and on, a seemingly endless supply of child abuse and hatred. Severus was stunned, how had the girl behaved so normally in school, how did she just switch off to the memories, was this why she threw herself into her work with such gusto? To forget.

He wished he hadn't looked; he wished he hadn't seen what she had tried so hard to leave behind. Trying to put a look on his face that suggested some degree of normality he spoke out to the tortured soul.

"Miss Granger, we need to travel to Diagon Alley to obtain the ring I mentioned earlier."

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Thanks for reading this chapter, please review. They really keep me writing. Hope this cleared up the spaghetti incident thing a bit. More will be mentioned when HG and SS talk about it in future chapters.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: the only thing of Harry Potter I own is a copy of the books.

Thanks for all your lovely reviews for the last chapter.

Chapter fifteen

Hermione and Severus walked towards the castle gates, head bowed against the unforgiving wind. Hermione's hair was wild, and secretly Severus thought she looked like an Amazonian Goddess. They stayed mainly under the shadows cast by the near full moon, because on a night this clear the habitants of Hogwarts would have easily spotted them. As the pair neared the gates, Severus heard Hermione shiver violently and he looked down upon her.

"Stupid girl. Where is your cloak? You will freeze to death in this weather."

"I'm sorry Sir," She replied, looking down at her feet she continued, "I don't own one."

Considering her past, Severus supposed that he shouldn't be surprised at such a comment. Yet he still felt that unfamiliar stab of anger at the girl's mistreatment. He would have to get his emotions back in check before the next time he was called to the Dark Lord. Anything, even a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, would be enough for the Dark Lord to kill him and, bring the full wrath of the Death Eaters down on Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix.

Without saying a word Snape unbuttoned his cloak and handed it to Hermione. As she held the material in her hands she looked up at him in wonder,

"But, Sir. Won't you be cold now?" the concern in her eyes was genuine as they shone with an innocence far to pure. Only an angel should look like that, he thought.

"I assure you Miss Granger, I am quite capable of dealing with a little breeze, and my robes are a lot thicker than yours. Put the cloak on before you freeze girl. If you die of Hypothermia the paper work will be unbelievable." His snide comment went completely unnoticed by Hermione, who threw the cloak around her shoulders and snuggled into the warm it gave off.

The cloak was made of a material so fine; Hermione thought she might rip it if she wasn't careful. However, she knew the material to be very strong and very warm. It was also incredibly expensive; all her clothes put together would not equal the cost of this cloak. There was a very subtle design embossed into it, so subtle that you would not notice it unless you knew it to be there. Hermione guessed that it was Elvin made, definitely not something you would find in any shop in Diagon Alley. Hermione thought the cloak smelt like Amortentia. '_What! That can't be right. Amortentia smells like what we are attracted to. Ohh bugger.' _This certain revelation, would need many hours of mulling over, presumably later that night as she feigned sleep.

By the time they reached the wrought iron gates that shimmered with the magic that protected Hogwarts, Hermione had some how managed to shift the look of horror on her face, to something slightly more expectable of a young lady in the presence of an authorative figure. This did not stop Severus from noticing her discomfort, however, he choose not to mention it.

"Miss Granger, have you ever apparated before?" he questioned.

"No, Sir, I haven't." A slight blush crept up her face, although she was unsure of her reason for embarrassment.

Sighing, Severus said, "Well in that case, you had better come here then, Miss Granger." His arms were held out, and the cogs in Hermione's brain halted for a millisecond as they tried to connect what Hermione was seeing to something rational. Because, Hermione thought, there is nothing rational about Professor Snape offering to embrace her. But then a sudden spark of realization hit her; that was exactly what he had done when she was unable to walk to the Headmaster's office. With that, she stepped into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist. As his arms tightened around her, she felt the unfamiliar pull in the bottom of her stomach as they were transported to wizarding London.

Upon arrival, Hermione felt none of the sickness that was normal with untrained or side-along apparation. Instead she felt incredibly comfortable in Snape's arms, like nothing could go wrong. It was as she moved to be even closer to him, that Severus cleared his throat and said in a voice slightly deeper than usual,

"Miss Granger, you can let go now." Hermione's eyes opened wide in shock, and she quickly let go of him.

"I'm s…sorry, Professor." She stammered, "I forgot myself." Wondering what kind of punishment she had earned herself now. Hopefully into wouldn't be a dock of house points; that always drew to many questions. To her surprise, Hermione received no punishment as Severus only said,

"It is quite alright, Miss Granger. Do not work your way into a strop; the last thing I need to deal with is a hormonal teenage witch." Then he set off at a steady pace, down the high street, towards Gringotts.

Hermione quickly got over the indignity of his insult and hurried to catch him up. Once she reached his side, she started to question him again,

"Professor, surely everywhere will be closed at this hour?" She hadn't really thought about the time, as they had walked out of Hogwarts, and Hermione realised that she had been quite happy to think about being in his presence.

"Yes, everywhere is closed, but they will open when they recognise me." This puzzled Hermione, the shopkeepers certainly wouldn't just open the shop this late at night for anyone.

"But, Sir. Why are we going now? Wouldn't it have been easier to go earlier on?" Catching the look on Severus' face, Hermione didn't dare ask any more questions.

"Think, Miss Granger, who I am. I am hardly someone who people are happy to walk up to and converse with in the street. Actually the shopkeepers refuse to serve me in the day, as I am so bad for business." His voice had changed as his speech progressed, and by the end it dripped with bitterness and anger at being treated in such a poor way.

"That's awful, nobody should have to put up with that. With all the things you've done for the Order-" she didn't finish her sentence, as the Potions Master cut her off.

"Miss Granger, I do not need your pity. And whereas you know of my true alliance, not many people do, and I would prefer you not to talk about it in public, you never know who may be listening."

"Of course Professor. That was very stupid of me. And you can call me Hermione." Whereas the Professor had nodded at her apology, he blinked in surprise at her request. That was not what he had expected.

"Then you should call me by my given name; I think that is only fair, and seeing as we will be seeing a lot more of each other, it is probably a lot more comfortable for us both."

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Hopefully something interesting there. I hope you all like it. Next update should be in the next couple of days. Please review, it makes my day.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. But I would like to thank Mrs. Rowling for letting me play in her fantastic world.

I have no idea if goblins have sharp teeth, but here they do.

Momentarily evil Snape (in thoughts only) in this chapter. (Couldn't have him getting too soppy, too quickly.)

Chapter sixteen.

Upon reaching the vast doors of Gringotts bank, Hermione waited as Severus sent a patronus into the building to alert a goblin of their presence. Hermione could not help but notice that, even though the patronus had a corporeal form, it was incredibly weak. This troubled her, as Snape's magic was usually incredibly strong.

Eventually, the doors creaked open slightly, and a piercingly blue eye could be seen through the crack of the wood. Suddenly, the door swung fully open and a goblin, not more than three feet tall, stood staring upwards at them. The creatures mouth seemed to be pulled into some sort of grotesque mask, but it was then that Hermione realised he was just trying to smile over his sharp teeth.

"Good evening, Master Snape. What brings you here at such an hour, and with such a pretty young witch," then his face changed almost instantly, and he snapped, "Can she be trusted?"

"Scatterwrench, I am appalled that you think so little of my company. I would not have brought her here if she could not be trusted." Severus' tone was smooth like silk, but deadly as a fierce snake. His eyes almost dared the impertinent creature to continue.

_'Scatterwrench. That was its name. Poo_r_ thing_,' Hermione thought. Processing the rest of the sentence she suddenly looked indignant, _'of course I can be trusted!' _She was just about to open her mouth and let out a tidal wave of insulted comments, when Snape gave her a look that clear said _'if that mouth of yours forms even one little word I will personally oversee to the digging of your grave, and then slit your throat and push you into it myself.' _Hermione's eyes shone with anger and defiance for a moment, before she snapped her mouth shut and followed the goblin that had, at some point, started to walk down the main corridor.

The light in the hall was dim, as it was lit only by a few dripping candles. The wax had dripped down a collected at the base of the candle, giving it a ghostly appearance. Hermione was slightly unnerved by the atmosphere in the building, although she could not pin point the reason. After all, she had been here many times in the daytime, when light flooded through the huge windows and people milled in large crowds waiting to be served at the tills which lined the sides of the corridor.

The bank was a labyrinth of twisting corridors and narrow staircases, designed so that a person might never find away out without the aid of one of goblins. Hermione shivered at the thought of getting lost in the nightmarish place. As they descended what seemed to be an infinite staircase, Hermione got a horrible feeling that she was walking into the pits of hell itself. After what seemed like an age, they reached the platform that was adjacent to the cart tracks. The cart waiting for them looked incredibly decrepit and hardly fit for use; this did nothing to ease Hermione's discomfort, as she was reminded of a roller coaster ride she had been on for a friend's birthday, some five years previously.

Severus stood watching the girl carefully; she seemed to have some apprehension towards traveling in the cart. He would agree that it did look slightly unsafe, but surely the girl knew that it was all magically protected. After all Gringotts was the safest place in the world, except maybe Hogwarts. Noticing that Scatterwrench was already situated in the front of the cart, and now looking slightly inpatient at having to wait for the pair, Snape strode forward and easily steeped into the cart. Glancing back up at Hermione, he realised that she was still stood, frozen to her spot on the platform.

"Merlin's sake, girl, hurry up!" He shouted, he really didn't have time for annoying little children.

Startled into moving, Hermione made her way towards the edge of the platform and peered carefully over the edge. The track was suspended in thin air-very much like the roller coaster she had been on all those years ago- and it was impossible to see the bottom, blackness filled the empty void, only serving to amplify the sheer size of the cave. Suddenly, the step from the platform into the cart seemed like a very far way; eyes widening, she once again froze. Snape sighed and stood up, offering Hermione his hand to help her into the cart.

Hermione took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled into the cart; sitting down on the wooden seat she let go of his hand and muttered her thanks, unable to look him in the eye. Trying to keep her panic under control she gripped the metal bars on either side of her. Snape noticed she was still terrified and said

"Hermione, stop this nonsense now. You must have used these carts many times before, so stop acting like as if it might cause your death!"

"With all due respect, Severus. I have never been past the main corridor of Gringotts." Snape looked momentarily surprised and before he could stop his curiosity, he questioned the girl,

"Why?"

Shrugging Hermione answered, and Severus mentally kicked himself for not thinking of something so obvious.

"The little money I have is all Sterling not sickles and Galleons, so I have no need for a wizarding bank account."

Just as Hermione finished speaking the cart started to move and Hermione shrieked in fear. For nearly five minutes they swooped and swerved along the track, all the time Severus kept calm, lightly holding onto the metal handrails. While Hermione gripped hers with what looked like enough intensity to bend and crush the metal. Reaching a drop in the track that must have been at least two hundred feet, Hermione let out a blood-curdling scream that made Snape think that she really had died. Even Severus had to admit that the last drop had made his stomach go slightly.

The cart came to a stop outside a row of vaults that looked suspiciously like hobbit houses. Severus looked across to Hermione and saw that she still had tight hold of the bars, and silent tears were steadily streaming down her face. _'The girl really was terrified.' _ Kneeling quietly in front of her he whispered softly,

"Miss Granger. It's over now, we can go." Hermione nodded in response but didn't move. Severus tried again,

"Hermione, come on, let's go." But she still didn't move. Sighing, he gently eased her hands off the bars and slid his arm underneath her legs. Pushing up on the balls of his feet, he easily stood with Hermione in his arms. _'This is becoming far too much of a common experience. Why is the girl always so vulnerable in my presence, and why do I feel the need to comfort her?' _

After stepping out onto the platform, Severus placed Hermione down and held her in his arms until her feet could take her weight again. Hermione moved her head out of where it had been buried in Severus' shoulder and wondered how her arms had ended up around his neck. Looking up at him, they both realised just how close they were standing. Severus was gazing down at the beautiful young witch in his arms, losing himself in her eyes. Hermione moved even closer to him and also gazed into his eyes, trying to comprehend the emotion she found poorly hidden there.

They stayed that way until Scatterwrench cleared his throat with a hacking cough. Quickly pulling away from each other, Hermione blushed bright red to the roots of her hair, and Severus played with the cuffs of his sleeves for a millisecond before going back into greasy bat mode again.

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Phew that one took awhile to write. I had twenty-one reviews for the last chapter, which is absolutely amazing. Please review; I would love to get that many again.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter.

I MUST APOLOGIES, AS I HAVE CONTRIDICTED MYSELF. THE JEWELLERY THEY ARE LOOKING FOR IS A BRACELET, NOT A RING. SORRY!!! MY APOLOGIES.

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Snape strode away from Hermione and towards his family vault. The door was vast and circular with an intricate locking system designed to look like entwined serpents. Without command from the goblin, Severus placed his hand on the door and watched as the serpents crawled around and over his fingers. It felt strange, like little insects crawling over his skin.

While the snakes touched his hand, he could hear their voices in his head. Many years ago this had scared him, but now he was used to it. Their hissing voices overlapped and drowned each other out, but occasionally he thought he understood something of what was being said, like snatched parts from a half heard conversation. However, as soon as he thought he could follow what was being said, it slipped from within his mental grasp into unintelligible chatter.

Eventually, all the serpents resumed their old positions and froze, once more becoming nothing more than elegantly molded lumps of metal. Several bone-cracking clicks could be heard and the door swung open. The door was perhaps eight inches thick and shimmered with the magic of ancient and strong wards. Whatever was inside was incredibly well protected.

Not sure what she expected, Hermione peered into the cavernous vault and gasped in astonishment. The walls in the vault were the polar opposite of the walls of the cart station. The station walls were damp and cold, cut out of the bedrock in jagged lumps. Whereas, the walls in the vault were sparkling with a bluish tinge and throwing beautiful light into the room. Golden galleons were piled high around the edges of the room, rising up to points at the four corners like vast mountains in the heart of a wealthy country. Emeralds and diamonds littered the coins and shimmered under the blue light.

On shelves, high up on the walls, stood rows of potion vials, miniature soldiers ready for battle. Severus noticed where Hermione's gaze fell and said, while gesturing to the vials

"My only contribution towards the family fortune."

Noticing the pained expression on his face, Hermione took a step into the vault and replied,

"I think your intelligence is the greatest contribution here. Money can only get you so far in life; in the long run it is unimportant. After all, when you die, you can't take it with you."

Severus looked over at her surprised; such wise words from one so young. Hermione Granger had always been light years ahead of the rest of her classmates; she was mature and hardworking, prioritising her life when others her age had failed miserably. Severus could not help but wonder how much he had underestimated her.

Knowing that for once, Hermione didn't require an answer, he moved towards a large, ornately carved wooden box that sat in the center of the vast room. Kneeling before it, Severus lightly ran his hands over the top edge, before using his thumbs to flick up the catch that was holding the lid shut.

As the lid fell backwards, Hermione moved to stand by the side of the chest. Inside was a large pile of jewellery: necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and even some elaborately frivolous hairpins. They all looked like they had been thrown in haphazardly, as if they were worth no more than common dirt. Severus seemed to treat it as such as well. He unceremoniously rummaged through the various valuables, tossing aside random unwanted brooches and necklaces in his search for the bracelet.

"Severus?" Hermione questioned nervously. "Why is the jewellery in such a state, they are obviously worth a lot?"

"The state we found them in is nothing to do with me, I haven't seen inside this chest since my Mother deposited all of her unwanted jewellery in here when I was a child. My current treatment is simply because I do not value such materialistic items. Now if you don't mind, girl, stop your meaningless questions as I refuse to dignify any more of them with answers."

Considering herself fully chastised, Hermione mumbled an apology and bowed her head to the ground. Severus had to stop himself from shaking his head; Gryffindors could be so melodramatic.

With a look of pure triumph on his face, Severus withdrew his hand from the chest and held up the bracelet. Hermione stared at it in amazement; it was beautiful. It was a delicate silver band, lightly engraved with a Celtic swirl; joined seamlessly to the sides were three rows of delicate beading. There were no jewels or gems; it was simplistic and…perfect.

"I…I…Thank You, I can't tell you how grateful I am."

Severus looked in her eyes and found that gratitude did indeed shine brightly there, a beacon of hope on a frosty mountaintop.

"Nonsense, Miss Granger. It is completely necessary."

Instantly he regretted being so cold towards her. Internally he was damning himself to the deepest pits of hell. He couldn't understand why he reverted to calling her Miss Granger. He couldn't understand why he had to push away everybody that got close to him. But most of all, he couldn't understand why he cared.

Swiftly walking out of the vault, Severus turned towards Scatterwrench and asked him if there was an alternative method of transport back to the service. After receiving a curt 'no,' that might have rivaled his own, Severus snarled at the goblin and stalked towards the cart.

Despite his mood, Snape gracefully settled into his seat and turned to observe Hermione's step onto the cart. He was pleased to see that she managed to step into the cart on her own this time. However, seeing the look of apprehension on her face, he sighed and stood up.

"For God's sake, girl. Come over here."

Startled into moving, Hermione moved in front of him and wondered what he was going to do.

Firmly grabbing her arms just below her shoulders, he sat back down and pulled Hermione down onto him. She landed sitting sideways across his knees with her arms around his neck. Hermione was just about to unwrap her arms when the cart started to move; she ended up letting out a small shriek (which she became embarrassed about later) and wrapped her arms more firmly around his neck, burying her face in his arms and consequently pulled his head down into her shoulder quite violently.

Snape's first reaction was to become angry; but when he saw just how much comfort the girl drew from him, the anger melted away. Wrapping his arms around her small waist, he realised that Hermione Granger was most definitely not a girl anymore. She was all feminine curves and beauty; attributes of a woman, not a child.

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Descending the steps outside Gringotts, Hermione broke the silence that had drifted over them since leaving the cart station.

"The vault was truly beautiful; the shimmering lights and the atmosphere…it was like magic. Of course it is magic, but that is besides the point." Pondering what Hermione had said, Snape replied,

"Sometimes the darkest evil masquerades as the most beautiful things."

Naturally, that killed all the conversation during the rest of the journey.

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	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

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Hermione was back in the frigid rooms of the dungeons, watching as Severus bent studiously over a book. Eventually he stood and slipped his wand out from his sleeve, directing it at the table where the bracelet now lay. Muttering quietly under his breath, Hermione strained to hear what was being said. Quickly realising he was speaking Latin; she translated it to the best of her abilities. 'Protection and tracking spells,' she thought 'pretty damn good ones as well, no wonder he had to consult the books.'

After finishing the spells he turned towards her, speaking softly with his silky voice,

"Pretty damn good they may well be, Miss Granger. However they will still only protect you from minor curses, nothing more than a stunner at any rate." Frowning slightly at realising that he had read her mind, Hermione questioned him,

"Why do you keep calling me Miss Granger, I thought we had decided to use our first names. It seems to me, you only revert to my surname when you are annoyed. But I have done nothing to trigger such an emotion."

Although she hadn't meant it, Hermione's tone had become quite accusatory and with ice in his voice Severus replied,

"Your right, Hermione. I do only call you Miss Granger when I am annoyed. I personally find your use of language to be quite inappropriate!"

"My use of language! 'Damn' is hardly a swear word, and you wouldn't have heard if you had not been reading my mind! Do you not think I have lost enough in the past few days, without you taking away my Goddamn freedom of thought."

Hermione's voice had risen to a soprano scream, and as soon as she closed her mouth and Snape started advancing on her, screaming equally as loud as herself, she regretted it. 'Merlin, he has a gaze like a black-eyed hawk when he is angry.'

Severus now towered high above her, but she no longer registered what he was yelling. How could she have been so stupid? Hadn't she learned by now to keep her mouth shut? The situation Hermione was in was identical to past experiences and, as fear started to take root in her body, she stumbled backwards. Eventually hitting the wall, she slid down it with her knees pulled tight to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her head to protect herself from the inevitable blows.

As soon as Snape saw Hermione sink to the ground, tears falling freely from her beautiful eyes, like raindrops down a misty window, he realised she was scared of him. His anger completely evaporated, leaving him with only regret and guilt. He knew he was not a nice man. But he would never hurt her. Too many times he had been forced to hurt a woman or child; too many times he could not offer them mercy.

"I would never hurt you," his voice was strained with emotion that replaced his usually icy tone.

Severus' face was distorted in what Hermione could only describe as agony. Watching as he turned on his heels and swept out of the room, his demeanor broke only by the need to steady himself with a hand on the doorframe.

Hermione shivered violently; without Snape's presence the cold returned to her full force, chilling her to the bone. The gloom that had comforted her now closed in on her, chasing away the light like wind against clouds; surrounding her, trapping her, consuming her.

As her breath froze in front of her, so did time seem to stand still. Hermione had no idea how long she had sat there, but eventually her tears stopped and her eyes dried. Now that the initial danger was gone, Hermione thought back to the events leading up to her breakdown, making sure to keep her feelings in check.

Severus reverting to calling Hermione by her surname had hurt a lot more than she had expected. Hermione felt that Severus had ripped apart any trust that was between them by not honoring their agreement. She was also ashamed about her reaction; Hermione knew that Snape had had far from a nice life and that it must be hard for him to trust anyone. However, her own difficult childhood did not prevent Hermione from at least trying to trust the man.

As Hermione recalled the moment she had sunk to the floor, she noticed for the first time how Severus' eyes had changed. Before, anger had filled them like a fiery infection, but now they were full of remorse and the ghosts of memories once buried deep within him. As Hermione watched Severus tell her that he would never hurt her, Hermione had to fight the urge to fight again as wave after wave of stomach sickening guilt beat against her conscience.

He looked broken, like a beautiful fallen angel; life had been so cruel to him yet he still found it in him to protect her, even if he didn't trust her. It was then that Hermione realised that it was not Snape who had destroyed the delicate sense of trust between them! She had taken every kind word or gesture and thrown it back in his face with her stupid, stupid comments. Knowing there was only one thing she could do, Hermione stood on shaky legs and stumbled through the darkness towards the door.

Hermione found Severus slumped in his chair behind his desk, one hand pressed to his temple and the other nursing a glass of firewhiskey; staring into its depths, looking forlorn and thoughtful. Glancing at the near empty bottle on the edge of the desk, Hermione gathered that he was probably slightly worse for wear. Hermione had never seen him look like this: gone was his harsh stance and cruel posture; gone was the cold look that so often graced his features; gone was the deep void in his eyes, for now they burned with a ferocity unchecked by anything Hermione had ever seen.

Knocking timidly on the open door, Hermione made her presence known. Snape's head immediately snapped up, observing her silently, waiting for her to speak. Hermione's eyes slowly lifted from the floor and peered out at him. Hesitantly he began to speak.

"I'm sorry." Deciding the simple approach was probably best, she continued. "What I said was childish and incredibly wrong of me, especially after everything you have done for me. You have given up more than I can ever imagine, for the sake of people who hate you and treat you like the dirt underneath your shoes. I am sorry." She finished lamely.

Snape looked at her for a minute, before nodding and pushing himself to his feet. Placing the glass on the table, Severus walked towards Hermione stopping about a foot away. Half expecting her to pull away, Severus gently held her jumper clad upper arms and stroked them gently with the pad of his thumbs.

"I am sorry too; I shouldn't have yelled as I did, I didn't mean to scare you. Please believe me when I say I will never harm you physically. But I must ask for you patience, I am not used to sharing my life with any one, and my cold demeanor will be a mould that is difficult to break." Gazing up into Severus' eyes, Hermione gave a small nod and softly whispered,

"Of course."

Then, much to Severus' shock, Hermione wrapped her delicate arms around his waist and stepped closer to him. Looking down at the woman in his arms, he let out a rare smile; she only just reached the middle of his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, Severus pulled Hermione tighter to him, quite content to stand there all night, if that was what she wanted.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. (Unfortunately.)

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Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Hermione lay gazing up at a ceiling that was very different to that of the Head girl's dormitory. Like sand through an egg times, memories of the night before came trickling back to her: the argument, the apologies and drowsy memories of Severus pulling a blanket over her tried form as she lay on the sofa.

Placing her arms behind her head, Hermione decided to stay where she was for a little while longer. For her, this was the most peaceful part of the day, nobody was up yet and the Earth itself seemed to sleep, caught in that magical moment between night and day.

Abruptly the tranquility was shattered as Severus walked out of his rooms already fully dressed. Realising that she had not yet made breakfast, Hermione had to fight to keep her panic under control. When she went to her parent's house in the holidays, she had to be up an hour before they were, to make sure that the house was tidy (usually they messed it up just to spite her; a broken plate on the polished floor, or a wine stain on the white carpet) and to ensure that their breakfast was made. Heaven help her if it wasn't done on time.

As Severus made his way to the kitchen, he looked over to the sofa and saw that Hermione was awake. The look of poorly hidden panic on her face made his brows furrow.

"Hermione, are you ok? Did you have a nightmare?" Although his concern for the girl was his main priority, he could not help but curse himself for asking multiple questions, after all that was her area of expertise.

"Thank you for asking me Severus, I'm fine." Growing impatient at Hermione's lies Severus snapped at her.

"Well there must be something, girl. You look terrified." At this, Hermione's face crumpled and she mumbled an answer that Snape didn't catch. Keeping his voice as neutral as possible he replied.

"Pardon?"

"I didn't make breakfast."

As she answered, Hermione lifted her head slowly and looked out at him from behind long lashes. Her eyes were wide and uncertain, but just as beautiful as ever. Severus looked Hermione and sighed, running his hand through his long hair, musing the parting and rubbing the back of his head before lowering his hand again.

"Go and get changed Hermione, I will make breakfast and then we shall talk."

Hermione nodded and after grabbing an armful of clothes, made her way to the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she lent against it and breathed out deeply; letting go of the breath she had been holding for the entire conversation. All in all, Hermione could not help but think that it went well, Severus had not seen angry at all. Slightly disturbed maybe, but not angry. Maybe things were going to get better.

Quickly pulling of her clothes, Hermione grabbed her toothbrush and the flannel that was lying on the side of the bath, and turned on the taps above the sink. To her surprise the water was bright purple, and as it hit the bowl it frothed and bubbled up spectacularly. Hermione knew that it must be the same charm used in the prefect's bathroom. Dropping the flannel into the water, she washed thoroughly before pulling the plug and watching the water spinning downward like a hurricane across a vast ocean. Picking up her toothbrush she squeezed out some toothpaste and paused, how was she to brush her teeth with purple soapy water? However, a soon as the thought registered, the water running from the tap turned clear and the bubbles disappeared. Smiling to herself, she started to brush, if her parents had only taught her one thing, it was good oral hygiene.

Pulling on a pair of jeans and a long, black band t-shirt, Hermione tried desperately not to think of the upcoming _talk _with Severus, logically she knew there was no point getting stressed; what was going to happen would happen and it was pointless trying to stop it. Unfortunately, this did nothing to calm her nerves.

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Severus stood in kitchen, methodically checking bacon and eggs while his mind drifted off. Hermione had some serious problems, and he was astounded that she had gone on so long without anyone noticing that something was amiss. He was determined to get to find out what was happening so he could help her start to heal. After all, who knew better than himself the terrible toll that could be taken on a brilliant mind, if they were offered no support.

Frowning he turned to retrieve a plate and started dishing up the food. The frown turned to a look of confusement when he saw how much food he had made. Then he snorted and turned back to retrieve another plate, he would have to get used to Hermione being here, after living on his own for all these years.

As Severus placed the two plates on the table, Hermione walked in and smiled at him. _That doesn't happen very often, _he thought. Then he looked down, completely bewildered by what was she was wearing. Hermione noticed were his gaze was fixed and she lowered her head, fingering the corner of her t-shirt in obvious discomfort.

"I can put my school robes on if you wish, Severus." Lifting his head sharply Severus replied.

"No, your attire is adequate. However, may I inquire into what exactly it is you are wearing?"

Hermione couldn't help it, she burst out laughing, throwing her head back and holding her sides. Severus scowled and spoke in a dangerous tone.

"I do not appreciate being laughed at, Hermione." He only caught himself just in time from calling her Miss Granger again. The last thing he wanted was another re-run of last night.

"Sorry, Severus. I wasn't laughing at you. Sometimes the difference between the muggle and magical world just catch up with me, that's all. This is called a t-shirt and these are jeans." She said while plucking at the various items of clothing.

"It is very different to what pureblood women wear." Severus commented. Hermione looked confused.

"Why? What do they wear?" she questioned

"They wear robes with a dress or uniform underneath." Hermione nodded but then spoke again.

"What do they wear for casual?" She pondered out loud. Severus replied.

"Although I don't pretend to see many women in casual situations, I'm pretty sure they just take of their robes." After answering Hermione's questions, he gestured down to the food on the table in front of them. "We should eat before it gets cold."

Even though they both knew the food could have been warmed up with a simple heating charm, they both sat and picked up their knives and forks. Severus was quite happy eating his half of the full English breakfast, but he stopped when he noticed Hermione had yet to take a bite. Severus questioned if the food was all right.

"No, No. It is perfect. I am just not used to eating food like this."

"What do you usually eat?"

"At Hogwarts, I usually have a piece of toast for breakfast, a sandwich for dinner and soup for tea."

Severus noticed that the food was hardly enough for a girl of her age. He wondered how she possibly managed to maintain all her womanly curves on a diet that small.

"And what about home?" he asked. He knew the answer from when he had looked in her memories, but he wanted to here it from her lips.

Hermione placed the cutlery down and stared into the food before her. She opened and closed her mouth several times without making a sound, before abruptly standing up and running out of the room. Severus closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and then went after Hermione. He found her on the floor, back up against the sofa, arms wrapped around her legs, rocking back and to as tears escaped down her cheeks as fast as the memories of her childhood hit her.

Severus kneeled down and lifted up the sobbing girl, sitting down on the sofa he pulled Hermione into his arms. She ended up with one leg on either side of his own, facing towards him, head buried into his neck. He stiffened slightly and then slowly relaxed as he tried not to think about their position.

"Hermione. Tel me, Hermione." Severus said with more kindness than he thought he had. Through broken sobs Hermione answered him.

"I cant. I can't. I can't relive that again." Nodding his understanding Severus spoke again.

"Then let me see, Hermione. I swear it helps having someone who knows. Someone who can help."

Hermione nodded her agreement. She trusted him without doubt now, and Severus said it would help, then it would help. Severus easily seeped into her mind; years and years of being abused had left her without any form of natural mental barrier. This surprised him considering how long she had lasted against the Dark Lord previously.

Severus was unsure how long he had spent inside Hermione's memories, viewing everyone carefully to make sure she did not see them as well. Severus knew it was bad from when he had read her mind without her permission. However, the memories he saw this time were too horrible for words. How had the girl survived? How had she displayed such acts of normalcy? She should have been dead.

After he left Hermione's memories he realised he was shaking with unimaginable fury. The people who did this to her didn't deserve to live, they were meant to protect her, they were meant to be the only two people she could fully trust in the world! It wasn't until Hermione spoke again that Severus was brought out of his murderous thoughts.

"Help me, Severus. I think I'm broken." Severus replied with the only answer possible.

"Aren't we all, Hermione. Aren't we all."

XXXX


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 (already!)

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter would I be writing a SSHG fic. Nah, of course not.

"I can't remember where they went looking for the horcruxes, so I made it up.

I know Slughorn was the potions professor before Snape, but I never really liked him. That probably comes across in this chapter.

Also, a HUGE thank you to my beta, evenstar101, she is amazing.

Oh and I think Hermione is a bit OOC in this chapter.

XXXX

Hermione had long since stopped crying, and now she sat sideways next to Severus, who was absent-mindedly running his fingers through her hair. Although they were both to stubborn to admit it, they were strangely content to just sit with each other and think. Hermione believed that she couldn't have been placed with a better person to help her deal with this situation, and she wondered if Voldemort had any idea of how well they were getting on. She smirked at the absurdity of it all, two weeks ago she would have said the chance of Snape and she getting along were about as likely as Harry beating Ron at chess.

Severus moved and wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist, causing her to sigh softly and lean back into him. Severus was the first person who had ever willingly held her, and the comfort she derived (Right word?) from such simple human contact, warmed her bones like a cat dozing in front of a greedy fire.

Severus allowed his gaze to travel lazily across the room, eventually resting his eyes on the grandfather clock in the corner. The timepiece itself demanded respect and towered majestically over the rest of the room, but it did not make the occupants uneasy, as the rest of the overpowering furniture seemed to do when he moved in twenty years ago. The last person to live in these quarters had been his former potions professor. The man had been incredibly obnoxious and was-in his opinion-a complete waste of space. Severus had spent most of his school years correcting the professors mistakes, so the rest of the class actually had a chance of passing their exams (Not that any of the students thanked him for it.) The students of today may not like his teaching methods, but at least they worked.

Moving his eyes up to the slowly ticking hands of the clock, he took in the time and jumped to his feet. This caused Hermione to unceremoniously fall to the floor and land in a crumpled heap, with an expression of surprise written across her features.

"Severus, what's wrong?" Hermione queried from her position on the floor.

"It is quarter to three; we have to meet the headmaster on the hour." Severus said as he offered his hand and pulled Hermione to her feet.

"When did you find that out?" Hermione said, frowning at the information.

"Albus came down and asked to see us when you were asleep on the sofa, as it was an inappropriate time, he asked us to go to his office instead."

Hermione nodded at this information, and had just opened her mouth to speak when Severus interrupted her.

"Dear Gods, girl! Do the questions never end?" Hermione giggled at the look of exasperation thrown across his features, and replied through bouts of laughter,

"Just one more, I promise." After Severus had nodded his agreement, and gave a slight shake of his head at Hermione's girlish behavior, Hermione continued, "Why did you panic about the time, we still have fifteen minutes and we can always use the floo?"

"Hermione, you ask the most mundane questions, any other girl your age would have been grateful for a few extra minutes to prepare themselves! But as it stands we can't use the floo as it is closed. The Headmaster did not think it appropriate for any of my 'friends' calling for a social visit. Heaven forbid Greyback or one of the Lestranges got into Hogwarts."

Hermione remained silent after Severus' speech. The thought of Death Eaters inside the school chilled her to the bone. Gazing into space, Hermione was suddenly very startled to find Severus' wand trained on her; eyes open wide she stumbled backwards, groping for her wand, only to realise that she had left it in the kitchen.

"Don't be silly girl. I've already promised not to hurt you. Stand still while I cast a Disillusionment charm; its still broad daylight and we can't have the students seeing you. God knows what they would say if they saw you with me. "

XXXX

The walk up to Dumbledore's office passed in complete silence on Hermione's part, as she could not be heard by any of the students. However, Severus did turn back into the bat of the dungeons and hand out a few detentions for general misbehavior along the way.

The headmaster was obviously expecting them, as the gargoyle slid away to reveal the hidden staircase before they reached it. Snape climbed the steps two at a time, due to his height and the length of his legs, and reached the top long before the young Gryffindor, who was panting slightly by the time she reached the top. Although she was dying to ask why he couldn't have waited for the staircase to carry them up, she thought better of it and wisely kept her mouth shut.

Severus swiftly took the Disillusionment charm of her and knocked loudly on the door, and after hearing a cheery "enter," he swung open the door and stepped gracefully forward, followed by Hermione who shut the door behind them. "Hermione, Severus, welcome, just on time as always."

Before Dumbledore had even finished his sentence, two young male voices exclaimed in excitement, "Hermione! Where have you been? We have been looking all over for you!" Both Harry and Ron rushed up to Hermione, taking it in turns to give her short, but tight hugs. Unsure of how to answer their questions, Hermione glanced at Severus and then the Headmaster, her eyes begging like a vagrant.

It was Albus who answered Hermione's silent plea, "Hermione has been quite safe I assure you. She has been helping Professor Snape in the creation of a rather complicated potion; he needed an extra pair of hands, and as I am sure you are aware, Hermione is more than proficient at potion making."

The compliment caused Hermione to blush a violent red, as she ducked her head. She had always hated this sort of attention; teachers who would show her work to the rest of the class as an example, or complain that their work wasn't at the same standard as her own. Over the years, Hermione had come to realise that she much preferred Severus' style of teaching. In class he always favoured the Slytherins, but this didn't bother her as it bothered the others, as all the head of houses favored their own students; they were just more subtle about it than Snape.

Furthermore, he never singled her out in class, unless he was in a particularly bad mood. However, the best thing Hermione liked about his teaching method was the way he marked essays. She had never been given an O in one of Severus assignments. Written in cramped red handwriting at the bottom of her essays were snide little ways at making improvements, constantly testing and stretching her. Because of this, it was the only class she ever felt challenged in, and Hermione loved it.

Severus, however, had become angry at the mention of Hermione's safety. The girl had been tortured to within an inch of her life, and was now bound to one of the most danger attracting men in the wizarding world for the rest of her life, (or at least the foreseeable future.) Dumbledore had once again shown that a Gryffindor could fit well into Slytherin; with his sly lies and meddling ways, always interfering with other people's lives, trying to ensure that everything went to plan.

One thing Severus had learned over the years was that there was no point in making plans because fate always had a different agenda. Anything that could go wrong probably would, so he didn't see the point in planning for success when he believed he was destined to fail.

"Now my children, we have many things to talk about so please take your seats and get comfortable."

Both Harry and Ron headed back to their respective seats, and Hermione walked to join them. As she was about to sit down on a stool next to the chairs the boys were sitting on, Dumbledore spoke to her.

"Hermione, I do believe you will be more comfortable sitting on that chair at the back my dear"

Nodding slightly, Hermione straightened and walked as gracefully as possible, (now that all eyes were on her) and slowly sat down and smoothed out her jeans. What was Dumbledore playing at; he knew she would have been quite happy sitting next to Harry and Ron; here she was out of direct eyesight, and she missed the comfort she gained from seeing them again.

"Hermione has always been a particularly bright student, and over the last few days she really has shown herself to be a great candidate for a potential potions mistress. Therefore, Professor Snape has decided to take Hermione on as his apprentice for the next two years and train her to become the best she can possibly be."

Hermione's eyes shot upwards to look at Severus, who was feeling just as surprised as she was, although he was managing to conceal it marginally better. Obviously Dumbledore had forgotten to inform them of his plans for hiding the bond between them from Harry, Ron, and the rest of the student body. Hermione also now realised why Dumbledore had placed her behind the boys, he knew how shocked she would be at the news, and after all, Severus wouldn't really take her as an apprentice would he?

"But, Sir," said Harry "How are we going to go looking for the Horcruxes without Hermione!" Ron murmured his agreement and gazed expectantly at Dumbledore.

"Both of you are more than capable of looking for the horcruxes yourself, you do not need Miss Granger's help. I feel she would be of much more use at Hogwarts where she can lend Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape a hand in the infirmary and the potions labs."

Hermione was thoroughly expecting a cry of protest from her best friends, either about her not going with them or working with Severus, but none came. She didn't know how she felt about not going with the boys; she had always expected that she would follow them, so she never gave much thought into whether or not she would like it. Now that she wasn't going, Hermione was almost glad.

Harry spoke up again, this time he sounded much older than he was, his voice broken and weary. It was the voice of someone who had lost all hope and was now holding onto his life like he was trying to grab handfuls of smoke.

"When are we going, Sir?" The answer surprised Hermione greatly.

"I see no reason to delay, and time is of the essence, so you will leave for Siberia tomorrow." So soon! Yet Harry and Ron did not seem surprised, leaving Hermione to wonder how much she had missed while she was in the hospital wing.

"Now if you don't mind Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, I would like a few words with Miss Granger and Professor Snape alone, please."

Harry and Ron stood, trudged slowly over to Hermione gave her one last tight hug and whispered their goodbyes, before exiting the office and closing the door behind them. Hermione stared after them for a while, emotions coursing through her so quickly she couldn't decipher them.

Severus, who had remained silent through the whole exchange, moved forward out of his shadowy corner and sat down in one of the now vacant seats. After Hermione had took her place next to him he spoke in a clipped voice that suggested that if it had been anyone other than the headmaster, they would have been in deep trouble.

"Do you mind explaining that little exchange please, Headmaster?" Dumbledore just smiled cheerily and offered him a sherbet lemon before saying,

"Now, now, Severus. How many times must I tell you to call me Albus, I am not your teacher anymore, you know."

'Yes, _Albus._ I am quite aware of that, thank you. Please explain the meaning behind the tripe you were spouting earlier."

"Well, my dear boy, obviously Hermione cannot go with the boys as it will kill her, and I needed and excuse for her to stay here, so I thought an apprenticeship would be the perfect idea for it." For now Hermione was quite content to be talked about as she watched the oddly funny argument unfold before her.

"You don't honestly expect me to offer the girl an apprenticeship, do you?" Severus said in disbelief.

"Severus, the ministry has been on at you for years to take on an apprentice, and you know Miss Granger is perfect for the job, so why complain." Knowing the battle was lost; Severus sighed and continued with the conversation.

"Maybe you should explain the rest of Hermione's education to her now." Dumbledore nodded and turned towards Hermione, who was listening intently.

"Miss Granger, as you are aware the bracelet you now wear will allow you to travel near enough anywhere in the castle without any pain. However, due to Severus' situation with Voldemort, and the chance that he might be called at anytime; it is no longer viable for you to be in your classes anymore."

Hermione sat in stunned silence. She couldn't go to classes, she hadn't even thought of that.

"However, all of the teachers inform me that you are well ahead of the rest of your classmates, and you are definitely ready to take your NEWTS this summer. The teachers have all agreed that you can do your lessons privately in the dungeons and that if you require any help, you can arrange a one on one lesson with that teacher at an acceptable time. This will give you ample time to work on your apprenticeship with Professor Snape, and help out with supplies that might be needed for the war."

Hermione nodded her agreement, she was still in shock. No more classes! Well at least she would be able to continue her education. It could have been so much worse; and an apprenticeship with Severus sounded amazing.

After that, the meeting was wrapped up very quickly and Hermione and Snape stood to leave the room.

XXXX

Phew, this ones miles long, please read and review, I love knowing what you think. Even if you hate it tell me, as long as you give me a way to improve it as well. 

I love reviews, they keep me going! Thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter, and to everyone who added me to their story alerts thank you, but please review, I would love to know what you think.


	21. Chapter 21

Warning!!!!!

This chapter is really violent and there's some bad swearing in it as well. My beta warned me that this was really intense, but I've decided to keep it this way because I would have to find a completely new way of….you'll see.

PLEASE DON'T READ IF YOU FIND IT OFFENSIVE ETC.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

XXXX

Hours after the meeting with the Headmaster, Hermione was seated crossed legged on one of the chairs in the living room, flicking through one of the many text books that had been sent down to the dungeons for her private education. Hermione had been hoping that there would be something of interest in the seventh year books, but truth be told she had already read them all in her second and third year. It wasn't for unjust reasons that people called her a know-it-all. She craved knowledge; knowledge that can only be found in ancient tomes and long forgotten manuscripts. The books in the school library hardly fed her thirst. Slamming the book down, Hermione sighed loudly and rested her head in the palm of her hand, a thoroughly bored expression splayed across her face.

Snape stood in the doorway to his study, watching Hermione from just out of her line of sight. Smirking when he saw her expression, he called out to her suddenly,

"Hermione, you look bored, let me show you something."

Hermione jumped out of her skin as Severus called her, but calmed when she realised who it was. Standing up, she nodded and straightened her jeans and t-shirt before walking over to stand beside Severus. He was stood next to a tapestry on the wall between the study and the kitchen, and as Hermione watched, he moved the material aside to reveal an inconspicuous looking door. After opening it, Severus gestured for Hermione to walk in front of him.

Hermione had no idea what to expect, but what she saw made her gasp out loud. The room was circular and lined from top to bottom in bookcases; there were red leather arm chairs seated next to a small fire which seemed to be used quite regularly in comparison to the one in the living room. Hermione had never seen such a beautiful library before, walking forwards she started browsing through the titles and realised that she didn't recognise a single one of them.

Smirking at Hermione's expression, Severus asked her,

"Do you like it?" The answer he received came with the largest smile he had ever seen, making his chest swell in a way he did not recognise.

"I love it." Came Hermione's simple but heartfelt reply. Clearing his throat Severus continued,

"Well you may read any of the books except for the ones on the top shelf."

"Of course, Severus. But why?" replied Hermione, letting her inquisitive nature slip through.

"Because, Hermione, they would be enough to give you nightmares for the rest of your life." The gleam in Severus' eyes made Hermione realises there was no need at all to doubt him.

"But you have read them?" she inquired.

"Yes. But a long time ago, and I have undoubtedly seen much worse than things which will ever be written in a book, but even so I do not want you reading them."

"Of course, Professor. Thank you so much."

Before Severus could reply, his eyes widened in pain and he fell to his knees, his hand grabbing his arm in a death grip. Hermione rushed forwards and knelt down next to him.

"Severus, Severus!" When she received no answer she put her hands around the sides of his face and called his name again. His eyes were open but he seemed to be far away, like he was staring aimlessly into a mirror not really seeing the reflection. Eventually he came around, taking a deep, shuddering breath Severus lifted his own hands to hold Hermione's that were still wrapped around him.

"The Dark Lord has called, Hermione. He wants to check up on you, to make sure I have been treating you in a _suitable _manor. He will use Legilimency on you, but he will not be happy. You have had too much of a comfortable time here."

"Then what are we going to do?" Hermione understood the problem and tried to squash the feelings of terror rising up inside of her. She couldn't be tortured like she was before, there was no way she could go through that again.

"We have to do something to make him think I hate you, something that will keep up my Death Eater persona until I can teach you Occlumency."

Once again Hermione nodded, but Snape couldn't meet her eyes. Inhaling another deep breath, he forced himself to look directly into her eyes.

"Hermione. Forgive me."

And with that he swung his fist straight into her face, making her cry out and fall backwards. As she lay sprawled on the floor, Hermione gazed up at Snape tears threatening to overflow from her chocolate eyes.

"You promised." she said.

Severus tried to ignore the broken quality to her voice as he started to kick her. He hated himself for what he was doing; Hermione had placed all her trust in him, she had opened her heart, and bared her soul, in the vein hope that time and someone to console in, would heal the jagged wounds which tugged and pulled at her everyday life. He hated himself, hated himself for what he was doing; his only thought being that it would save her from a worse fate at the hands of the Dark Lord.

Hermione tried to block the countless blows that rained down on her, quiet sobs escaping her. She had learnt long ago that screaming would get her nowhere. She hated herself; hated herself for trusting a man enough to lay her heart bare to him; trusting him enough to start at tentative relationship with someone whom by all rights she knew should have hated her.

After a particularly nasty kick to the head, Hermione's arms fell limp to her sides; she was stuck in the horrible limbo between awareness and unconsciousness, still able to feel every blow aimed at her, but too weak to try to stop them. The blows ceased as Snape went to retrieve his cloak and death eater mask, Hermione felt herself being pulled forcibly of the ground and thrown over Snape's shoulder, as he strode quickly and silently out of the dungeons and down the long, winding corridors of the castle.

Thankfully, it was after curfew and the corridors were completely empty, or Merlin knows how he would have gotten Hermione out of the castle unseen. Using the appropriate unlocking charms, Severus hurried down the front steps with his precious (depending on whose point of view) cargo. Up in the castle there were still a few lights on in the student dormitories, forcing Snape to stick to the shadows cast by the forbidden forest. After exiting the gates, Severus apparated directly into the hiding place of the Dark Lord, and flung open the doors where he was waiting for them.

Unceremoniously, Severus dropped Hermione to the ground where she let out a painful whoosh of air before curling into a semi-protective ball. Snape quickly knelt before his master and crawled to kiss the hem of his robe. Thinking equally how he hated anything that brought a man to his knees, and that he should squash any disloyal emotions instantly, as the Dark Lord would be far from happy at his late appearance.

"Severus, where have you been? I called you nearly half an hour ago," Voldemort's slithering voice brought goose bumps to Snape's flesh and he had to suppress a violent shiver.

"My Lord, I beg forgiveness. The idiotic Mudblood bitch need some punishment, and I got a bit carried away, My Lord."

Voldemort did not reply, only walked over to where Hermione lay and placed a bare foot on her cheek, forcing her to look up at him. Taking in her broken nose, black eyes and profusely bleeding mouth and lips, Voldemort turned back to Snape and snorted lightly.

"On the contrary, Severus. I do believe you were relatively easy on her. Next time I expect to see her properly punished and well aware of where her place is. Just below the house elves and slightly above the muggles."

Severus forced a smile at the Dark Lord's sick attempt at a joke and bowed his head in respect. He knew he had been lucky so far, and also knew that it wouldn't last.

"However, Severus. I called you to discuss a mission I would be sending you on with a few others of my most faithful servants. But, due to your tardiness I had to find a replacement, which is very disappointing. I expect more from you next time, Severus."

Yes, of course, my Lord. I will not disappoint you again." Severus replied in the most sincere voice he could muster.

"Be that as it may, Severus. I think you may need a little reminder."

Before Severus had chance to react, he was hit with the Cruciatus curse which Voldermort held for an unthinkable amount of time, before allowing Severus to drop to the ground, crunched up in agony.

"I think that should suffice for now, Severus. You may leave and take that pathetic excuse for a human being with you."

Strolling leisurely out of the room, Voldemort left Severus panting on the floor, trying to recover enough to stand. Eventually he dragged himself to his feet and walked over to where Hermione lay, she was now completely unconscious through blood loss and Severus hopped he would not be too late to save her.

By some unknown miracle Severus made it back into his quarters with Hermione in his arms. Carefully laying her down on his bed, he stumbled into his labs and grabbed a handful of potions; swallowing his own concoction designed to deal with the after effects of a meeting with Voldemort, he swiftly made his way back over to Hermione.

Pouring countless potions down her throat, Severus watched as first her facial expressions eased and then her breathing. Finally giving her a dreamless sleep potion before pulling out his wand and started to heal the countless cuts and bruises he had given her. He tried to tell himself that he had saved her from a horrible fate at the hands of the Dark Lord, but the more he tried, the more he thought about how he had hurt her instead. Would it be easier for her to recover from wounds from the Dark Lord or wounds from him? All he could do was pray for the later.

Hermione awoke many hours later, pain free but incredibly stiff, as the memories from the previous night resurfaced, she noticed the presence of another person on the bed. Snape was seated next to her staring up at the ceiling while playing absent mindedly with a piece of her hair.

Taking a large shuddering breath Hermione looked at Snape, he obviously heard her and realised she was awake, as he turned to look at her. Severus' eyes widened in shock as Hermione threw herself at him, her fists hitting every part of him that she could reach.

"You promised! Bastard! You Promised!"

Sobs were now violently ripping themselves from Hermione's chest as she continued to punch her betrayer. After several attempts to stop her and explain, Severus gave up and did the only thing left that seemed even remotely rational. He kissed her. Wrapping his arms around her neck, Snape pulled Hermione towards him so she was straddled across his lap, lips fiercely pressed to hers as if he would never let her go. Eventually, Hermione's fists stopped beating against his chest in protest, and she leaned in towards Severus, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, and kissed him back as if she was entirely dependent on him. In truth, she was.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: unfortunately I do not own Harry Potter.

I apologise for the ridiculously long wait in between chapters.

Please be nice with your reviews, I'm a bit unsure about this one so constructive criticism is more than welcome.

Thank you so much to my beta as well, she's amazing.

Chapter 22:

Hermione had long since fallen asleep in Severus' arms, her head pressed to his chest and her arms wrapped around his waist. Snape lay next to her, legs straight in front of him, with one arm tracing tiny circles on her back, and the other playing with a strand of unruly hair.

Severus had never felt so guilty before; the rolls of emotion that hit him were like violent waves against sandy beaches, and howling wind beating at crumbling cliffs. Never before had he faced such self-hatred, not even in his own school years when he had called…Severus sighed, that didn't matter anymore. It was a long time ago, and Lily wasn't coming back. Sometimes he wondered if that was a good thing or not; he missed her terribly, but knew he would never be able to face her after what he had said.

Most people would not even think to compare Lily and Hermione, and if they did, no doubt they would not see past their differences in appearance or the fact that they were both exceptional witches. But Severus saw so much more than that; he saw the fierceness they both possessed when protecting their loved ones, and he saw unwavering need to care for those around them. But most of all he saw their differences; both were bright, but Lily lacked the drive and thirst for knowledge that kept Hermione going; and he saw the undying loyalty and trust in Hermione that dwarfed Lily's own loyalties by colossal amounts. And when Hermione awoke he would get to see if she was as unforgiving as Lily. But for now he would wait, refusing to admit he was scared of what Hermione would say.

XXXX

Hermione lay awake in Severus' arms, trying almost desperately to keep her breathing slow and regular. She was very comfortable and didn't want to face what she knew was coming. It didn't matter anymore, it was over, Severus had saved her, it would never happen again.

"There's no point trying to pretend to be asleep, your breathing pattern changed about five minutes ago, and you are only making it more obvious by trying to correct it," Severus said.

Hermione sighed; his voice told her everything she needed to know. His tone a dead drone showing that he was beating himself up over what had happened. Hermione shifted slightly in his arms and turned to face him. She smiled and reached a hand up to touch his cheek with her fingertips, the feel of his skin relaxed her in a way she couldn't explain; to be so close to him in a manner which was strangely intimate. Severus' eyes drifted shut peacefully and he leaned in to her touch, sighing contently. Hermione shifted closer to him, leaning in to softly press her lips to his, but he moved away, turning his back on her and gently pushing her of him.

"Severus, what's wrong?" she asked as she leaned on her side, propped up on one arm.

Hermione had never seen him act like this before; she had never known him to be so emotional. She knew that he had done far worse things in his life; how many people had he killed or tortured in the last twenty years, and yet here he was feeling guilty about beating her. Eventually, Severus replied.

"Hermione, I…I promised." He sounded broken, defeated almost.

Hermione moved closer again, this time straddling his hips and forcing him to look at her. His eyes were shining and Hermione was shocked to find he looked close to tears.

"Severus. What happened, it wasn't your fault. I don't blame you, you probably saved my life."

Hermione leaned down and kissed him, admiration in her eyes. Hermione knew she depended on Severus a lot of the time, but she liked this new vulnerable side to him; liked knowing that she could help him like he helped her.

"I swore I would never hurt you, and now you act like it never happened,"

Snape was generally amazed; she had completely forgiven him without asking for any explanation, and without any terms or conditions. The only other person who had ever forgiven him was the headmaster, and in return he expected a lifetime of torturing and being tortured.

"I don't understand, Severus. As a spy you must have done much worse things, why do you feel so guilty when it was completely necessary."

It took awhile for Severus to answer and Hermione was beginning to think she had overstepped the line, it was as she was about to apologise that Severus spoke.

"There is only one other woman I swore not to hurt, and after I broke my promise she never spoke to me again and then went and married the person I hated most on this planet."

Hermione knew he was talking about Harry's mother and was incredibly surprised that she didn't have it in her heart to forgive a boy who obviously cared a lot about her.

"Did you love her?" She was not truly expecting an answer but her curiosity got the better of her. To her great surprise, Severus did reply, although he sounded as if the information had been pulled from him.

"Yes, I loved her."

Hermione didn't speak again, she had no idea how to reply and Severus seemed to be wrapped in his own thoughts anyway. Hermione drew comfort from the way Severus' arms were wrapped around her, and she stretched herself out, lying on top of him. Content to stay with lying on the bed with him, Hermione closed her eyes and breathed in a scent that was purely Severus; like pinewood and winter spices, and intoxicating mix of traditional Christmas and refreshing country air, a sentiment that Severus probably wouldn't appreciate Hermione thought wryly.

After a while, she felt Severus' breath hot on her neck and then his lips pressed feverishly to the pulse point between her neck and collarbone. Hermione gasped in surprise.

"God that feels good," she moaned as she arched her neck to allow him better access.

Slowly he teased his way up her neck until he reached her ear, pulling it into his mouth with his teeth, gently biting down, causing her to gasp into the cold air. Hermione fisted her hands into his hair, forcing him to look directly at her, desire and passion fueled his heated gaze. Slamming her lips to his, she kissed him with all the restrained emotions she had kept bottled up in the last few days, the pain and agony rolling out in waves around them.

Snape kissed her back with as much abandon and didn't stop until he felt Hermione's hands on the buttons of his frock coat. Before Hermione even knew what he was doing he had flipped them over, pinning her beneath him. The flush of her cheeks and the look in her eyes told him how desperately she wanted more, but he gave her one last kiss before easing her hands out of his hair and gently stroked her cheeks.

"Hermione, we have to stop." Severus' breath was ragged and his voice barely under control.

Hermione's low moan of protest was nearly enough for him to change his mind, but he quickly rolled off of her and stood while straightening his clothes.

"Please, Severus, please."

Letting out a shaky breath he answered in a determined voice.

"No, Hermione. It's far from appropriate and there's too much at stake."

Immediately thoughts flooded her head of what would happen if Voldemort or even Dumbledore found out about them. Voldemort would surely kill them both, and probably not quickly either. Dumbledore would not be angry, he would be disappointed and Hermione knew she couldn't deal with that. Furthermore, even though she technically wasn't a student any more, Severus would lose his job and she would be purely to blame. Squashing her emotions, Hermione stood and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Can I please use the shower, Severus?" Her hair was a mess and she badly wanted to freshen up.

"Of course, there was no need to ask." Severus' voice was back to his usual silky drawl; although he spoke in no more than a whisper it was impossible for Hermione to miss a single syllable.

"I'll make breakfast, do you have any preference?"

The question completely threw Hermione, what would he be eating? She didn't want to seem to be being difficult or picky. Sensing Hermione's discomfort, Severus decided to add what he hoped to be some helpful information. The young woman was obviously still uncomfortable around him to some extent.

"I will be having toast and Jam,"

"I'll have the same, please." Hermione smiled as she watched Severus walk out of the door and head towards the kitchen.

Stepping into the bathroom, Hermione quickly pulled off her clothes and adjusted the water to the right temperature. Once under the cascade of water, Hermione's thoughts turned to her earlier conversation with Severus. In truth, she wasn't surprised by how quickly she had forgiven him. What did surprise her, however was that she automatically trusted him, even after he had broken his promise. Hermione had never been one to blindly trust people, her childhood had taught her that; and sometimes she still had to remind herself not to be suspicious of Harry and Ron, even though they had been friends for years.

Having two boys as best friends had its drawbacks; they treated her like one of the lads, which meant they weren't exactly over sensitive towards her feelings and quite often said things that left her near tears; and they were both obsessed with Quidditch and didn't understand why she didn't show more interest in the brutish sport herself. However, she never had to put up with any unwanted attention from other students either. Hermione had never quite figured it out if it was generally because no one was interested (it wasn't as if she was the prettiest girl in the school) or because Harry, Ron and the rest of the Weasley's scare them off. For her own sake she tried to believe the latter of the two, although she was doubtful of it.

Generally, Hermione enjoyed their company and couldn't help but miss them now they had gone hunting for the Horcrux's. She was quite sad that they would be missing her seventeenth birthday (which was the day after tomorrow) and thought that nobody else would remember or even care.

However, Hermione couldn't have been more wrong, as when she sat down at the dinner table opposite Severus, he commented on the upcoming date.

"Hermione, if I remember rightly, it is your birthday in two days time, is it not?" Hermione looked shocked. How had he known that!

"Yes, it is. If you don't mind me asking how did you know?"

Severus smirked wryly at the question before answering.

"I'm a spy, Hermione. It's my business to know things about people, if I didn't I would probably be dead by now. That and the enormous badge you wore last year on your birthday."

"It wasn't that big, and I wasn't wearing it, it was pinned to my bag!"

"Yes, true. Which is the only reason I didn't make you remove it."

Just as Hermione was about to shoot back another angry retort, she noticed the gleam in Snape's eye and the slight way in which his lips twitched. He was enjoying this!

"Do you enjoy making me angry?"

Severus just smiled and took a bite out of his toast. Truth be told, he loved making Hermione angry; it was so easy to do. Normal things that would send anyone else into a fit of rage hardly seemed to phrase her. Yet little things that most people would shrug off completely enraged her. When she has angry, her eyes were diamonds caged in black ice, and her cheeks flushed red as if she had spent hours out in the freezing cold, which in a way he found oddly endearing. Quickly, Severus attempted to get back to the original point of the conversation.

"So, we will go down to London to day and buy a gift for you."

"There's really no need, Severus. I don't expect you to buy me anything." Severus contemplated this for a moment before answering.

"I know you don't expect anything, but we're living together, Hermione, the least we can do is acknowledge you birthday. Plus, you've been wearing the same pair of trousers since you first got here, so I believe some new clothes are in order as well."

Hermione looked down at her clothes, she knew they were tatty but she really didn't have any money to replace them.

"I can't afford new clothes right now," Hermione murmured, embarrassed at her situation. Her parents had more than enough money to completely renew her wardrobe, but they would never waste their money on her.

"See it as part of your birthday gift," and seeing her about to object he said "No buts Hermione." and he stood to take his plate over to the sink.

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Phew, that's it. Please, please, please review.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Hermione stood by the door into the corridor, patiently waiting for Severus to reemerge from the bathroom. After breakfast, he had stepped into the shower and left Hermione alone in his quarters. At first she had tried to read some more from her schoolbooks but she could not settle, eventually she had resigned herself to waiting for him. Hermione had to admit that she was curious as to why Severus had suggested they go out in the daytime. He obviously had some way of keeping her identity secret, but Hermione was still concerned. There was so much at stake to risk on a silly little shopping trip; it wasn't as if she expected a birthday gift, especially one of Severus. Two weeks ago she would have been grotesquely murdered for calling him by his given name.

Five minutes later Severus walked out of the bathroom fully dressed in his black robes, his beautiful dark hair still dripping from the shower. A strand fell across his face, obscuring his eyes from view, and Hermione had to suppress the urge to move it out of his eyes. Hermione smiled as he walked towards her and ignored the jab of disappointment when he didn't smile back. She knew he meant nothing by it, after all he was just as new to this situation as she was.

"Are you ready, Hermione?" Severus questioned.

Hermione simply nodded and pushed off from the wall she was leaning on.

"Good, then all we have to do is hide you."

When Severus said hide, Hermione had presumed that she would go into Diagon alley with everyone completely unaware she was there. However, Severus had different plans, and Hermione gasped in shock as she felt he legs grow slightly longer and saw her hair change colour. She was now a good three inches taller than usual and had fiery red curls cascading down her back. Looking down, she noticed that Severus had altered her clothes to fit as well, but unfortunately they still looked as tatty as ever.

"Whoa. That's different," was all Hermione could think to say. Picking up a curly lock she wrapped it tightly around her finger marveling at all the different shades in it.

"Yes, but your usual look suits you better. However, it will do for our purpose."

Hermione was taken back by the almost back handed compliment. Dropping the strand of hair, she looked up at him and said,

"Won't people still notice me?"

"Diagon alley is along way from Hogwarts, Hermione. There will be no students there. And any of my…. acquaintances we happen to meet will expect you to be out with me as they know about the curse. The only people you should be worried about seeing you are people who do not know you well, and therefore changing your appearance slightly will be enough."

Hermione nodded at the logic behind his reasoning and stepped out into the corridor when Snape held the door open for her. Although Snape's quarters were permanently cold, the corridor outside was frigid. Hermione's breathe instantly condensed against the bitter cold that filled the corridor. The air was completely still and Hermione found herself wishing for even a slight breeze to cause some friction against her bare arms. Folding her arms across her chest she rubbed her arms furiously, trying to rid herself of the Goosebumps that speckled them.

Rolling his eyes Snape lifted his fingers to the nape of his neck and deftly undid the ties of his cloak; passing it other to Hermione she accepted it graciously.

"Thank you, Severus." Hermione said through chattering teeth.

"You are quite welcome, Miss Granger. But while we are still in Hogwarts there is a chance that one of the students may recognise you, so it would be best if we refer to each other in a more professional manner."

"Of course, Professor."

It felt strange to call Severus that again. It made all the things that had happened between them seem wrong; all their conversations; all the times he had comforted her; and the breathe-taking kisses they had shared. Hermione pushed her damning thoughts away. What they had shared had been good, something she could rarely say about anything in her life, and she wasn't about to convince herself that whatever they had-however small- was wrong in anyway.

Severus and Hermione started the long trek up through the castle in a relatively comfortable silence. This was the second time Snape had lent Hermione his cloak, and even though she knew what to expect the smell still caught her off guard. It smelled exactly like him; warm spices and sandalwood infused with a scent that could only be described as Severus Snape: beautiful, comforting and mysterious.

In took nearly twenty minutes to travel through the castle, during which time they didn't speak. It was probably the feint fear of being overheard by a student who would instantly pick up on the complete disregard for student teacher boundaries. However, once they had made it onto the school grounds the conversation started again between them.

"Professor, where will we be going in Diagon Alley?"

"I need to pick up a few things from various places and then we can go looking for some new clothes for you, I suppose we'll need to go to muggle London.

Hermione smiled with glee, she hadn't been shopping in the muggle world for a long time, and to be honest she was surprised Severus had suggested it, as it was quite obvious he would be far out of his comfort zone.

Severus noticed Hermione's expression and had force away the wave of annoyance that was bubbling to the surface; she wasn't a technically a student anymore and that meant that she should be treated with a shred of respect. But more than that, the things she had been through in both the last week and the rest of her childhood would have been enough to send most people into a downward spiral of darkness and depression. However, Hermione stood strong and had guarded her emotions very carefully for long periods of time. Many students, especially those in his own house whose fathers were death eaters, had come through Hogwarts with difficult childhoods, but most were noticed and offered help and counseling. But nobody had noticed Hermione, the school know-it-all, and Gryffindor Princess, was so broken.

Once they were out of the school gates, and Severus had redone the necessary wards and locks, he turned to Hermione and held his arm out to her. Hermione laced her arm around Severus' and winced as the horribly familiar feeling of apparation overcome her. Hermione's eyes watered from the sunlight; here the weather was much nicer than in Scotland, and there was no real need for a cloak. However, she was loathed to remove Severus' cloak and decided to remain wearing it, as he had not asked for it back.

Hermione and Severus entered the main street through a gap in-between the apothecary and the wizarding sports shop. Severus needed to visit the apothecary to pick up some vital ingredients for his potions, and as he turned to tell Hermione this he was taken away by the way she looked. It was none of her altered features that drew him to her, but more the soft curve of her skin against her cheekbone and the gentle way in which her lips arched in a perfect smile that seemed so natural to her.

It had been a long time since Severus had smiled, and when he did it was a great effort on his behalf, his face just didn't seem to move that way. Add this to his unappealing features and his mainly nasty disposition, and you had the perfect recipe for scaring first years and keeping away any woman he may have been interested in, he thought bitterly. Hermione however, who like him had struggled through life and had been left hurt and scared from her experiences, always seemed to radiate happiness and tranquility, even if she was wrought with inner turmoil. Severus could not help but notice the irony of their situations; it was him that everybody thought was a heartless bastard, yet it was Hermione that was hiding her true feelings and portraying false ones to keep everybody satisfied.

"Hermione, do you mind if we call in at the apothecary on our way?"

Hermione looked up at him in momentary surprise, it was unlike him to ask her anything, let alone for permission!"

"Of course," Hermione stammered, "I like visiting there anyway, it always reminds me of…well…things."

Hermione blushed prettily and ducked her head; she was about to say it reminded her of him, but she didn't even want to think about what Severus' reaction would have been. Severus frowned slightly at her odd reply but didn't think too much of it; he hadn't exactly treated her well through out her school years and didn't expect she would want to share everything with him.

Severus opened the door for Hermione and tried not to get aggravated at the annoying chime that signified their presence to the shopkeeper. He didn't know how the man stood it; if it were him he would have blasted the thing to kingdom come long ago. The light in the shop was dim and the air heavy with dust, but rather than being uncomfortable it was comforting, like a safe haven within a storm. The selves were lined with various ingredients that seemed to be in a completely random order, but eventually a regular customer would grow accustomed to the strangeness. Severus knew his way around the shop like the back of his hand and Hermione followed him as he systematically made his way around the store, picking up the items he needed without hesitation-they were obviously ingredients he used often, although she recognised barely any of them.

Hermione felt truly comfortable in the shop; the dim light was kind on her eyes and she preferred it to the sunlight outside which seemed attacked everything with almost violent rays of light, at least inside you could choose how light or dark you wanted it. Also, the smells comforted her as they permeated the air, almost identical to those wrapped around her in the form of Severus' cloak. Hermione watched as Severus paid for the items and was handed them back in a brown paper bag.

Nodding his thanks to the shopkeeper, Severus tucked the bag inside his volumous robes and gestured to Hermione that they should leave the shop. Once outside Severus gave her no time to adjust to the light before he set off towards the robe shop; Hermione knew he meant nothing by it, however keeping up with him was difficult even with her longer legs.

"Severus, please can you slow down a bit. I can't keep up." Hermione panted as she hurried to stay by his side.

Severus nodded and shortened his stride; sometimes he forgot how tall he was compared to Hermione, who even with the additional height from the charm he had placed on her was only just average height for a woman. Normally Severus walked so fast that he had no time to take in the scene around him. He was always aware of the people in the street and any immediate danger, after all he wouldn't be a very good spy if he weren't. In fact, if he didn't he would probably be dead by now. Slowing down he had time to properly see the things happening around him.

A mother holding her baby saw Severus glance at her and pulled her child closer to her chest, giving him a filthy look before walking away. A group of men, who looked to be roughly his own age, stopped their conversation and turned towards him, faces blank but disapproving, there gaze following him as he continued along the path with Hermione by his side. People seemed to be giving them both a wide birth, and Severus couldn't really blame them from what was written in the Prophet.

Hermione saw Severus' expression and looked around to see what was affecting his usually cool demeanor. It must be horrible, she thought, to constantly risk your life for a world that hate's you.

"Severus, don't look at them, ignore them, they're not worth hurting over." Hermione reached out her hand to touch Severus', gazing intently up into his face.

I have no idea what you are talking about, Hermione."

Severus ignored the small hand resting on his own until Hermione got fed up of waiting for him and slid it into his, silently offering the comfort which he was so unwilling to except.

Severus must have noticed the look of surprise on Hermione's face when he stopped not outside Madam Malkins, but outside a rather dreary looking shop half the size and set back of the main street.

"It is to be expected that I will not receive a warm welcome from Madam Malkins, Hermione. This shop is a lot quieter and the store owner knows me well."

This slightly unnerved Hermione, the only people she could think of knowing Severus well were Death Eaters, and she didn't really want to see them any time soon. However, she needn't have worried, as the man inside the shop was obviously no Death Eater. In fact, with a mass of pure white curly hair that stood on end from his head like he had just been electrocuted, his beaming (and slightly toothy) smile, and his cheeks flushed an almost violent shade of red, Hermione doubted if he had a bad bone in him. She was certainly shocked to find that the snarky bat of the dungeons knew such a man.

"SEVERUS! How lovely to see you again. I wasn't expecting you anytime soon. And who is this lovely lady? Bit young for you isn't she?" He said, slapping Severus on the back before turning to Hermione with a mischievous smile on his face, "My dear, pray tell me your name so I could put it to your beautiful face."

Hermione blushed prettily and murmured her name as the eccentric man pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. Glancing up at Severus she smiled slightly, and in return received a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

"Ignore Oscar, Hermione. He's been as mad as this since as long as I can remember, and probably long before then as well.

"Now, now, Severus. No need to be rude. What can I help up for?"

"Hermione is in need of some new robes, several casual and two dress sets."

Before Severus had even finished his sentence, Oscar had turned away and was fiddling around inside a draw, finally puling out a tape measure, which he used to measure Hermione the muggle way.

They were in the shop for nearly two hours as Oscar prattled about generally nothing and made cuts and alterations to the new robes. The speed of his work was exceptional as magic finished all the long-winded jobs in seconds. The robes were of the same high quality as Severus' and Hermione's fears were realised when Oscar announced the price. She thought Severus would surely decline at such a ridiculous price, but he paid without even blinking. Picking up the bags Severus worked out of the shop with an awestruck Hermione trailing behind him.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

I am so, so sorry it had taken me so long to update. Life has been so unbelievable hectic and to top it off, my laptop has been completely broken for the last three weeks. But thankfully Mum bought me a new one for Christmas. I fully understand if no one decides to continue reading and reviewing my story. But I still greatly appreciate any reviews I receive, even if they are only complaints about how long I have taken to update. I re-read the story the other day and realized just how slow the plot had become. Therefore, I really am going to try and speed it up a lot. So I estimate that it should be roughly five more chapters.

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Muggle London was practically empty. Hardly a person could be seen on the usually busy street. Shopkeepers were stood behind their tills gazing out into the street, confusion etched onto their normally bored faces. It was never this quiet.

An old vinyl record store was squashed between an up market café and an expensive clothes shop; trying to sell the latest in fashion that made you look taller, slimmer and more elegant. The music shop looked dire in comparison, with its pealing black paint dripping from the frame like water falling from the sky.

A young man-probably closer to child than adult, sat behind the counter with his Doc Martin clad feet up on the surface, nodding his head in time to the music blaring through his headphones. He looked up just as one song finished, and glanced around as the opening notes of the next song rang out. Nobody had been in the store all day; the street was practically deserted. That's what made him notice the peculiar pair. A girl with a lion's mane for hair stood far too close to a man with long, lank black hair down to his shoulders. Their clothes stood out drastically, both were wearing what could only be described as cloaks. The girl's was brightly coloured, but the man was in head to toe black and the shopkeeper wondered why he hadn't grown out of the Goth stage yet.

On the other side of the street, in an alley between two shops, a figure stood clothed in heavy black with a hood pulled up so that only shadows could be seen of the face beneath. A stray black ringlet of hair escaped from the depths of the hood and two shiny eyes could be seen in the dark like diamonds trapped in black ice. Like the shopkeeper, she too was watching the odd pair across the street. A snarl graced her lips momentarily before being replaced with dark grin. Bellatrix Lestrange waited until the Mudblood and the Death Eater turned traitor were out of sight before she whirled around and disappeared in a black fog. The Dark Lord would want to know about this.

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The pair were not seen again until several hours later when they emerged, laden with many bags, from a high street clothes shop. Hermione struggled to keep up with Severus even though he was carrying the majority of the bags; his desire to leave evident in the length of his stride and the glint in his eyes. They quite quickly arrived back in Wizarding London and Hermione pulled out her wand, shrinking their bags until they could fit inside their pockets.

Hermione had long since given Severus his cloak back, swapping it for the new one he had bought her. Instantly she regretted her actions as Severus took the cloak back with a hurt look in his eyes; he probably thought she didn't appreciate the gesture. Hermione could only hope that he didn't clam up on her and start treating her as coldly as he had when she was his student.

Unlike Muggle London, Diagon Alley was packed with people going about their everyday shopping. The hustle and bustle in the street hardly seemed to touch Hermione and Snape as everyone was once again giving him a wide berth. Much to their shock, they were stopped by a man who started to shout at Severus while his face became more and more flushed.

"What are you doing here? Diagon Alley is not for the likes of you! Death Eater scum!"

Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief. _The man must have a death wish, and he certainly had not attended Hogwarts while Severus was potions master there. Who in their right mind would insult Snape!_

Severus had stopped listening to the ranting man and was now trying not to smirk at the raging emotions flowing from Hermione; even without his use of Legilimency it would have been very easy to tell exactly what she was feeling. It was then that the man turned to Hermione and directed his anger to her.

"And You! You are just as bad as him! You're young enough to be his daughter, and yet you are here, fawning over him!"

Severus drew his wand in rage aiming it between the man's eyes, but before he could hex him Hermione placed her hand on his chest and sent him a look, telling him to calm down.

"Tell me, was it the power and the glory that pulled you to him! Or the money in his bank vault! People like you have no idea what you're doing! Stupid little slut."

Until this point Hermione had seemed unaffected by the insults, but he had taken it one step too far. Her wand joined Severus'-aimed at his face. A huge explosion ripped through the street, blowing out the windows of the shops and throwing Hermione and Severus into the shop wall opposite them. At first Hermione thought she had lost control of her magic, but once she had pulled herself to her feet and looked around it was quite clear that something much worse was occurring.

Black robed figures emerged from shops and strutted down the street, wreaking complete havoc as they went. If the disaster they left behind wasn't enough of an indicator, the masks and hoods they wore identified them as Death Eaters. Hermione looked to Severus for guidance only to find him unconscious in the rubble, a trickle of blood running down the side of his face.

The majority of the Death Eaters were concentrating on destroying the alley as much as humanly possible; buildings crumbled as shops fell to the ground and people were running, screaming in all directions. Hermione tore her eyes away when she heard the terrified screams of a woman who had been backed into the corner; she could not bear to watch her pitiful struggles against the man who now had her pinned to the wall.

Hermione's entire being told her to run, but she could not leave Severus. Kneeling down beside him, she brushed the hair out of his eyes and shook him gently, trying to rouse him.

"Severus. Severus! Please, we have to go, now. There's trouble, please Severus." The panic in her voice was becoming more evident and she shook her old professor harder, begging him to wake. "Please, Severus! I want to go! Please!"

A harsh laugh sounded behind her, and she heard the heavy step of boots on the hard floor.

"You won't be going anywhere without us, missy. The Dark Lord wants to see you and the traitor, himself."

Hermione looked up to see several robed figures surrounding them, and with wide eyes she realized she had no choice but to follow them.


End file.
